


Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better

by StarkasticAvenger



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Marvel Universe, Post-Avengers (2012), The Avengers (2012) Spoilers, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-07 22:55:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6828487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarkasticAvenger/pseuds/StarkasticAvenger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things go wrong in Tony’s lab. Steve was just an innocent bystander. Now it's a game of don't tell the others what happened. All the two can do is hope no one notices somethings changed and things are not as they seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. History In The Making

**Author's Note:**

> He we go. This one will have multiple chapters. I've had this idea for a long time so I hope you all like it or at least tolerate it. Feedback is welcomed :)
> 
>  
> 
> Also sorry my definition of chapter is so short. I'm literally writing all my fanfiction on my phone and tablet so bare with me please.

Out of all of the times one of Tony Stark’s experiments went wrong, this screw up gave the rest a run for their money. 

Steve had been sitting with Tony when he’d work in his lab, every day since he flew the nuke into space. He wanted to make sure that his teammate was okay and that he didn't feel alone. Normally Tony would tinker on small gadgets while Steve would sketch anything from the technology around him to Tony himself, so today the super soldier was surprised to walk into a full blown science experiment. The machine Tony had created looked like two giant blenders to be honest. On the inside of one was a thick, blue liquid and in the other there appeared to be a mineral that looked like miniature stars floating in a strange liquid. The machines were connected by large glass tubes that could only be there to mix the two substances together. Around each substance was a glass casing that were alive with electricity. Steve stared at them with amazement in his eyes as he let his mouth hang open. He jumped at the sound of Tony’s voice.

“Cap, I'm glad you're here. You get to see me make a new element. I'll call it Starkism.” Tony's smile could be heard in his voice. 

Steve rolled his eyes, “Sounds more like a cologne you'd make.” 

Tony snorted out a laugh. It was nice to hear. The man rarely looked happy after his near death experience. Well, one of his near death experiences. He only seemed to be in a good mood when he was with Steve or Rhodey. Steve couldn't help but smirk at the thought of being special to the mysterious Tony Stark. 

Now Steve would be lying if he said that he wasn't attracted to Tony. I mean who wouldn't be? But this attraction was only that. An awareness of the man's good looks. Sure he thought about what a relationship between them would be like but the chances of that happening were about as high as the chance of Agent Coulson agreeing to dress up as a flight attendant and sing. There was no way either of those would happen. (Right?) 

About a hour and a half hour went by before Steve was annoyed with his drawings and decided to take a break. He got up and walked over to see what Tony was doing. The man in question jumped up from behind a table and grabbed at a lever, his eyes wide and his smile wider. 

“Get ready, Capsicle. You're about to witness history.” Tony had never looked so excited.

“I was part of history. Don't you remember? I mean I could've sworn you were a genius or something.” Steve said, sarcastically.

“I don't understand your old fashion words. You just don't get us young people.” Tony joked. 

Steve decided to roll his eyes and let that one slide as Tony pulled the lever down. Bright blue electricity flowed around the giant machine in a way that Steve couldn't explain even if he wanted too. All he could say was the sight before him was beautiful. To see the broken man next to him make something so amazing was the definition of beauty.

Then everything went to hell.

A glass tube that connected the two machines shattered letting the electricity out. The first thing it came into contact with was Tony. Steve screamed as his friend was being electrocuted next to him and without thinking he reached forward to grab him. The electricity passed between the two and for what seemed like hours they shook uncontrollably from it, making sounds that were similar to drowning, as it practically boiled their blood. Then with a loud pop all the power went out and everything went silent. 

Brown eyes struggled to open after a few hours. Tony’s lab looked like the device had literally exploded in their faces. 

“That could have gone better.”

Well that voice didn't sound right. Who said that? The brown eye that had opened first scanned the room and stopped when they located an unconscious figure. 

‘Is that..? No it couldn't be.’

Then the other man sat straight up, fear in his blue eyes. His hands flew up to his chest then slowly sank down as realization hit. 

“Gotta remember that's not there anymore.” The face that showed fear now showed confusion hearing his own voice. Slowly he turned to face the only other person in the room. Fear climbed back onto his face. 

“..Steve?” 

“Tony?”

Then it hit them. As if their lives depended on it the two men rushed over to the nearest reflective surface. 

“Oh fuck.” The reflection of Steve mumbled.

The reflection of Tony scoffed and whispered, “Language.”

Both men turned to face each other and after a moment of staring, they screamed bloody murder. 

“Stark, what did you do? I'm… you! You're me! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?” Steve yelled, his fear rising as Tony’s voice came out of his throat. 

“How should I know? Just calm down. I'm going to figure this out.” Tony's signature Stark look of confidence didn't work well with Steve's facial expressions. He looked terrified. At least now Steve could tell what was on Tony’s mind. Even if it was his own face he was reading. 

“Just don't tell the others. They'll freak out, then Fury will find out and I'll never hear the end of this.” Tony was getting annoyed. He couldn't tell what Steve was thinking because he had Tony’s face. That lucky bastard. 

“Alright, Stark. But you better fix this fast. Or else.”

“Or what, Capsicle? You come at me it's basically a game of ‘quit hitting yourself.’ Tony laughed but raised an eyebrow at the sound. 

Steve noticed he felt weaker. He wasn't use to not feeling the effects of the serum. He was a normal person again and it definitely was taking a toll on him already. He felt what he assumed Tony felt all the time. Tired, hungry, and sadly he felt fragile. Physically and mentally. 

‘Oh my God. Is this what Tony feels all the time. No wonder he seems like an ass when you first meet him.’ 

Steve's now brown eyes went wide as he realized, if he didn't tell the other Avengers what happened, he was going to have to pretend to be Tony Stark.

“Steve, you need to relax. Worry is not a good look for me.” Tony said as he patted Steve's back. 

“Keep patting yourself on the back for your mistakes, huh?” Steve joked. He wasn't sure why he wasn't losing his mind right now. He decided to blame it on being Stark now. 

“Is that what I sound like for real?” Tony asked, “If so I sound sexy as hell.” 

Steve rolled [Tony's] eyes. 

The two men spent at least an hour trying to figure out how they were going to keep this between them. After they believed they acted like each other well enough they went their separate ways to their rooms to try and sleep.

Tony walked up to his room and expected the door to open instantly like normal, only to run face first into the door. Super serum or not that still hurt. 

“JARVIS open the door.” Tony was shocked at how ‘Captain America’ he sounded.

“Sorry Captain. Only Tony is allowed in there.”

“But I am-” 

‘Fuck’

JARVIS must not have rebooted quick enough to know what happened after the power shut off. 

“Oh yea. Sorry my mind isn't right tonight. Um, where was my room again?” Tony felt guilty about not knowing where Steve's room was. They had been getting closer, he should at least get to know the guy. 

“One floor down, the door all the way to the left.”

“ Thank you JARVIS.”

“ Captain, might I recommend some water or something. Forgetting something like where your room is, isn't a good thing.”

“I'm just tired. Thanks again JARVIS.” Tony was really trying to sound polite even though he was annoyed he wouldn't be in is own room. Once he reached the stairs Tony jumped to see Steve coming up the stairs. Well seeing himself walking towards him is why he jumped, but that's not important. 

“Wrong room?” Steve asked.

“Yep.” Tony said flatly. He prayed Steve's bed was comfortable and not a military cot or something. 

Once Steve was inside Tony’s room he flopped face first on to the bed. He could care less where he was at. He was beyond tired. 

‘God, Tony needs to sleep more.’

The thought of taking a shower sounded nice until he realized he'd see all of Tony and without the man in question’s permission. Steve could feel his (new) face get warm at the thought but ignored his mind and hugged the pillow. He noticed the pillow smelled like Tony. Coffee and oil were the most noticeable scents, but there was a hint of mint and what Steve could imagine was sweat. Even Tony’s sweat smelled good to Steve and that bothered him slightly. Little did he know, Tony wasn't doing much better. 

Tony was sitting in the middle of Steve's bed, knees pressed into his chest, protected by his arms that held all of him together in a ball. His mind was racing and he tried to figure out what happened earlier. With a loud sigh, he fell onto his back, letting his head fall to the side. With half his face in a pillow, Tony could smell Steve on the bed and it drove him crazy, so he rolled over, grabbed the pillow and hugged it to his face, until he was half asleep. 

Tony didn't know what was worse. Causing them to switch bodies somehow or wishing the pillow was Steve. Being Captain America did not sound all that fun to Iron Man to be honest. That meant he had to be up early so no one was suspicious.

“Fuck.” was mumbled from a now sleeping Tony.

Upstairs Steve was wide awake realizing why Tony never slept. He felt scared to close his eyes and he didn't know why. Steve decided he was going to find out what caused such a brilliant man to become so dysfunctional. 

After he kicked his ass for getting them into this situation.


	2. It Ain't Easy Being Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day one of this mess Steve and Tony have gotten into. This should be fun as long as no one finds out what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay this "chapter" is a little longer.
> 
> I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you guys enjoy reading it.

“Good morning everyone!” 

All of the Avengers turned to face the newcomer into the room. Once they saw who greeted them they gave the man a look of shock. That greeting was way to cheerful and early in the day from who just walked in.

“Tony? You're actually awake right now?” Bruce questioned before taking a drink of his coffee.

The look they received from ‘Tony’ was one of confusion. He looked like he had no idea what Bruce meant. Almost like he forgot to sleep in, like usual. Steve's eyes went wide as he remembered his deal with Tony. 

‘Shit. I'm Tony now. I should be asleep. Think. What would Tony say?’

“Who says I even went to sleep?” Steve asked, trying his best to sound carefree. 

“You weren't in your lab so we assumed you were asleep.” Clint chimed in, his attention back on the TV more than the conversation. Steve almost laughed at the fact that Cint was watching Spongebob. 

“What are you guys, my parents?” Steve was grinning at his word choice. 

‘Nice one Steve. High five for you.’

“Stark, just shut it, we have more important things to worry about.” Natasha stated and Steve practically flinched at her words, causing Bruce to look at him curiously. 

‘Ouch. Is that how we talk to Tony? He is important things. Why would some say there were more important things than the man who's letting us live here?’

“Yes, for instance, where is Captain Rogers?” Thor practically shouted. He couldn't help it, he was just a loud person. Who like always was eating a poptart. No actually bought them so wherever Thor was getting them from was a mystery. 

Steve then started to panic as he realized what Thor had said. Tony normally slept in. Which meant that ‘Steve’ was most likely still asleep and that was definitely not normal Steve behavior. Day one of the switcheroo was not going well. If only Steve had gotten Tony’s intellect along with his body, then he could avoid confrontation with the others faster or at least fix the problem himself. 

“I'll go find him. He helped me with a device I was working on so he was awake all night. That might mean he's still asleep.” Steve grinned as he spoke hoping he was playing a good Tony. Being Tony seemed to be a lot harder then previously imagined. Steve was already wishing this day was over but in the back of his mind he couldn't stop from thinkin about Natasha’s words. He was feeling awful about how quickly the others were annoyed with ‘Tony’ and he certainly hoped he didn't act that way too.

Steve didn't wait for the others to give their consent on the topic. Once he was out of sight, he took off running towards his real room. Begging whoever that Tony wasn't sleeping. It was a long shot though. This was Tony they were talking about. Once he went to sleep, he would stay that way for hours. Steve felt slightly guilty when he hoped a nightmare or something woke Tony up early.

By the time Steve made it to his room, he was out of breath. He had to take a minute to hunch over and take deep breaths. One thing was for sure, Steve did not miss being tired quicker. No matter what he says from this day on, if he says he could handle living without the effects of the serum, he's a dirty liar and Stark would do this new thing he's been doing where he jumps on a random piece of furniture, points at your face, and screams ‘Dishonor.’

Steve chuckled at the memory. Tony started doing that after movie night last week, when they watched Mulan. It showed that Tony wasn't just a cocky attitude with a drink in hand. It showed that deep down, he was a sweet and caring person. To bad it was way deep down past the walls he made out of vibranium. 

“JARVIS open the door.” Steve hated that if he said please, it would sound suspicious. 

“I can only open the door for Captain Rogers.” 

“Well I decided to change that rule.”

“Sir, you would have to get the consent of the other Avengers.”

“JARVIS please. Everyone's worried about Cap.” It felt weird saying his own nickname. “Just let me in so I can wake him.” 

“ Captain Rogers left his room two hours ago.”

That can't be good. “Where did he go?” 

“On his usual morning run.”

Tony? Going on a morning run? There was no way. Especially since two hours ago it was four in the morning. Tony would never wake up that early. Steve shook is head in confusion. 

“Is something wrong, Sir?”

“Do you know when he'll be back?” Steve was genuinely concerned and to hear that feeling in Tony’s voice as he said it scared him, because he's heard it before. All those times when Steve spent hours in the gym, taking out his anger on a punching bag, Tony would come in and talk to him. Each time he sounded concern and Steve had either yelled at him to leave or ignored him. Steve began to feel guilty. How could he not realize that all those times Tony was showing he cared? JARVIS spoke again, pulling Steve out of his thoughts. 

“He is actually at the front entrance right now. It appears he's debating something with himself.”

Steve was already running down the hallway as he yelled a quick thank you to JARVIS. He was alway down the stairs when he felt the tiredness pull at him. He wasn't sure how Tony survived being this tired all the time. It felt like his legs could give out any minute. Steve ignored the strain and continued until he was outside face to face with Tony. Well technically his own face. 

“Tony what the hell? Where did you go?” Steve hissed, quiet enough to where no one would hear him. 

“I get it. I understand why you run every morning.” Tony was smiling. Good that meant nothing was wrong.

Steve let Tony continue but was ready to stop him if he started acting too Tony.

“Steve I feel amazing. I feel like I could take down a Hulk. Maybe even two. My body doesn't hurt everytime I move. I don't feel the need to drink. I woke up and I wasn't tired. Steve, I didn't have a single nightmare. Do you understand how incredible that is?” Tony was holding Steve and literally shaking him back and forth from excitement.

Steve did understand. He felt everything Tony didn't feel anymore. He could feel the want of alcohol crawling up his throat. He could feel the effects of lack of sleep. But for some reason he felt scared and sad too. He only had Tony’s body. Not his brain. So he shouldn't feel emotions Tony felt. This mix up was obviously more than just a mind switch. Steve hoped Tony could figure it out and soon. No matter how much Tony enjoyed being Steve, the amazing Captain America was not enjoying the feel of being Tony . Nothing against the man, Steve just didn't like feeling this… broken. Even though he had his own demons to face, Tony’s were different. They seemed darker. 

Tony picked up on Steve's silence. He let go of his arms and backed away. “Sorry, you probably miss that.”

“Don't be sorry. I'm just not used to not having the effects of the serum.”

Tony took a deep breath in and nodded, obviously deep in thought. 

“Let's go inside. I need a shower.” Tony mumbled.

“No. No you do not.” Steve's words shook with laughter that showed he was nervous, earning a questioning look from Tony. 

“That's my body you'll be seeing, Stark.” Steve mutter through his teeth. He could feel his face getting warm as Tony realized the situation.

“If we don't shower the others will get mad.” Tony said in a joking way. 

“Tony I'm not comfortable with that.”

“Who says I was?”

Steve put his face in his hands, followed by letting out an annoyed groan. Then he started to laugh uncontrollably.

“Fine. Fine. At least I have the fancier shower.” Steve couldn't stop laughing in between his words, and Tony just sat there and smirked at him. Steve felt multiple emotions right now. Fear, confusion, angry, and if you counted tired as one add that to the list of the mixture. Under it all though, he noticed he felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Tony seeing him if he showered. That feeling he ignored. 

“Tony, why am I laughing? What is this?” the laughter continued. 

“It's a nervous tick I have. Anytime I get nervous I laugh. Obviously you can't control it yet like I've trained myself to do.” Steve flinched at the word train. Tony wasn't a pet that needed to be taught obedience.

“Have fun with that, Cap.” Tony whispered as he disappeared into Stark Tower, leaving Steve to his thoughts. 

Steve began to realize that there were more things Tony kept a secret. He hid a lot more from everyone than they thought. Steve would have never thought that the confident Tony Stark had a nervous tick for example. That was the point though, right? Hide from people because it's hard to trust them. Or maybe he hid because he trusted them and thought they'd leave if they knew more about him. All Steve knew was that once things were back to normal, he was going to have a talk with the team about how they acted towards Tony. 

After a few hours of sitting in ‘his’ room, Steve was done waiting for Tony to let him know how much progress he had made on fixing the problem. To be honest he had no idea here the genius went which was a little unsettling so Steve was now wandering through the Tower. Feeling the much needed sleep and food made him lose his train of thought. So when he ran into Bruce in one of the hallways he jumped from surprise. 

“Hey Tony. You okay? You look worried.” Bruce questioned.

‘Come on, Steve. You gotta hide emotions better.’ 

“ Yea I'm fine, Bruce.” 

The look he received showed he didn't sound convincing.

“Come with me Tony. Let's talk. It'll be good for you.” 

‘Fuck’

Bruce had taken Steve's to Tony's lab for their little chat. They decide to sit on the couch that Tony had put in there for Steve when he'd hang out. Steve then realized the place was cleaned up. There was no way Tony did it so Steve assumed some of Tony’s bots fixed up the place while they were asleep. 

“Alright, Tony. Tell me, how have you been since the last time we talked?”

Last time? Did that mean Tony was sharing things with Bruce so he didn't have everything bottled in? Steve felt a pinch of guilt realizing that Tony needed help as much as he did. 

‘Think. What could be bothering Tony right now.’

“Cap is getting on my nerves, that's how I'm doing.” That sounded like something Tony would say. 

“Again?”

Okay not the response Steve was hoping for.

“Well he's been hanging out in the lab everyday now. I get it he wants to make sure I'm okay but I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself.” 

“I thought you enjoyed having him around.”

Steve felt his heart skip a beat. Tony liked having Steve around? 

“I don't know, Bruce. It's complicated.” Steve wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this conversation. If he repeated anything Tony had said in the past Bruce might get suspicious. If he didn't say anything Bruce would question it. Steve began to feel fear stabbing his chest, but he wasn't sure if it was his own or the fear that came with being Tony Stark. 

Bruce nodded then smiled. It was a nice look on the serious man. Steve made a mental note that the team needed to do more fun things together to cause some joy around here. 

“Well that's what you get for having a crush on the guy.”

Steve almost fell out of his chair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again. I guess you could say Steve's learning a lot about Tony. *hehehehe*
> 
> Shout out to Clint for his TV choice and I'm literally laughing at the thought of Tony enjoying a work out. That and showering... that ought to be fun. 
> 
> I'm super excited for what ideas I have and I hope you guys stay tuned for more haha.


	3. I Don't Feel Alone In My Skin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter seems a little boring I know. But hey I gotta add depth to the characters.
> 
> ..yea that sounds like a good excuse for why this chapter is stupid. 
> 
> At least some of the banter is funny. I hope.  
> And yea I know it's really early for some of the things that are said in this chapter but that's because this story, I swear, will have an interesting twist later that I literally just thought of this morning that will make the title make even more sense! Please stick around and thank you for all the comments and love! Or like, for those who like fanfiction but aren't ready to love again. 
> 
> -Sav (my nickname :3)

The sound of fist hitting metal could be heard coming from the gym that was normally occupied by Steve. Sure ‘Steve’ was the one in there, but on the inside it was Tony who was muttering curses under his breath as he kicked one of his training bot’s head off. He was pissed. All he did was screw up and now Tony was pissed because with Steve's body, came a few built in emotions and for some reason the feeling he got when he thought of the super soldier was one Tony usually ignored. Love. Tony winced at the word. Tony Stark did not love people easily and there was no way he'd love Captain America himself. With a punch through a bot’s chest, he dismissed the feeling as a Steve thing. 

That's when Steve walked in, a look of concern on ‘his’ face. “Tony? Are you okay?” Steve really knew how to sound like his heart was breaking. No matter who's voice he had. 

“Fine.” 

Steve flinched. 

‘My voice sounds so full of hatred when I'm angry.’

Tony stopped training and walked to the other side of the room where he chugged from a water bottle like there was no tomorrow. Steve followed and patiently waited for Tony to face him. 

Once their eyes met, Tony looked down and sighed. 

“I don't know know why, but when I started working on a solution to fix this, I got mad at myself for not getting any results faster and for whatever reason anger is the one emotion that seems to really affect me when I'm you. I just.. I'm really mad at myself for screwing up. For getting you into this.” 

Tony looked like he was going to cry. Steve had never seen the man look so vulnerable. It hurt even if it was his own face that now had actual tears coming down. Steve's first thought was to reach forward and hug Tony. He didn't care if Tony would be mad at him for it, Tony needed a hug. He needed someone to tell him it was going to be okay. That he was more than a screw up. 

Tony’s breath hitched at the sudden contact and with a shaky exhale, he melted into the hug. That's when he began to sob quietly, so to hide his sudden outburst he hid his face in ‘Steve's’ shoulder causing Steve to hug tighter. 

“Tony, you are amazing. Everything about you is incredible. When something knocks you down you get back up and I know something as little as being me for a little while won't stop you. I'm sorry you got my anger. Out of all the things you got, you got my rage that boils close to the surface but that doesn't matter. All that matters is everything is going to be okay.” Steve hoped and prayed that Tony believed him. 

Tony slowly pushed himself off of Steve and rubbed at his eyes. “Sorry. I don't know why our emotions work differently. Obviously this situation is more complicated than I first thought.” 

The two men stood there for a good amount of time, staring at each other. Tony couldn't help think that the only good outcome from this was maybe he'd figure out his feelings for Steve and that Steve would possibly like him back if that was the case. Steve caught the blush that Tony was sporting and smirked. 

“Why are you using the Stark Smile on me?” Tony laughed quietly as he spoke. 

“Just thinking.” Steve technically wasn't lying. 

“Well answer this. If I got your anger what did you get of mine?”

Steve hesitated for a moment but decided Tony needed to know everything to fix this most likely. “I feel dark.”

Tony nodded. “Anything else?” He was obviously trying not to show a negative reaction to Steve's words.

“Tony...why am I afraid to sleep?” Steve hated to ask but he felt awful knowing this was something Tony dealt with every day. 

With a deep breath Tony closed his eyes, scrunched his nose, and let the breath out. “When I was held hostage… it was always dark. I never knew what time of day it was. I began to fear the dark the longer I was there. Why do you think I made the arc reactor light up? I could have made it a normal machine if I put the effort into it. Hell I could have changed it when I got back, but I needed it to feel safe in the dark. Even when it was killing me. Now I truly believe I can survive just fine without it, but sometimes I wake up thinking it's still there and I'll admit that I have had a panic attack or two when I see it's gone. Then I nearly died in space. Sure it's different than pitch black, but it was so big out there. The unknown was scary. That didn't exactly help my sleeping habits. Basically… the great Tony Stark is afraid of the dark.”

Steve didn't know what to say. Tony? Afraid of something as simple as the dark. Something that could be easily changed with a flip of a switch. But for Tony that wasn't the case. He had seen the darker side of the dark. The evil side of it. He lived through what made people associate darkness with fear and here was explaining the feeling to Steve like it was no problem. 

“Tony, thank you for sharing that with me.” Steve couldn't help but feel special because Tony had shared something deep and personal with him. He just wished he had the courage to tell Tony his true feelings.

‘Do I even have feelings for him? Or was all this confusion from the mix up?’

“Your turn. Why the hell am I ten times hungrier than before?” Tony grinned, trying to lighten the mood. 

Steve laughed. “It's the serum. Your metabolism is way different. Get use to actually eating, Stark.” 

Tony made a look of disgust. “Oh no. I have to be responsible for my health more than normal.”

This time, Steve made a look of disgust. “Tony, you stink.”

“It's not my fault. I need to shower.” Tony's words made Steve glare. It wasn't an angry look though. Steve knew that they both needed to keep up appearances to make sure no one figured out what happened. 

“But hey, good news. Before I got pissed, I found something that might help fix this.” Tony said, excitement creeping into his voice. 

Steve practically shook the life out of Tony, “Holy shit. Tell me!”

“Okay, okay! I found something in my- well your- blood. The liquids I was combining in the machines are in our blood. They mixed together with our blood and when we were electrocuted it must have caused the mixture of blood and chemicals to react. It literally makes no sense, but I think we didn't switch bodies. We're just connected and that's why I feel some of your emotions like they're built into you and you feel mine. Quick, watch this.” Tony ran over to a mirror ignoring the confused look Steve gave him.

“Stand right here and look at your reflection. I'll stand back here so you can't see me.” Tony looked like he was going to explode from anticipation. 

Steve realized he hasn't taken to time to look at his new face. Sure he'd glance at himself or make sure he kept appearances up so no one would question why Tony looked different but this was the first time he actually studied himself. Tony was definitely good looking, no doubt about it, but Steve could see the effects of lack of sleep that were a part of Tony. The more he stared the more he could see that one look that was a permanent part of the Tony’s face. Sadness. 

Steve was so distracted by his reflection he jumped when he felt someone pinching his arm. With a look of discomfort he glared at his arm only to see no one was there. With an eyebrow raised he looked over to see Tony who was pinching his own arm. 

“How… I can feel that.” Steve wasn't sure if what he was seeing was actually happening.

“I know. Well I was actually hoping you would. This conversation just became the testing phase of a science experiment.” Tony was smiling like there was no tomorrow. 

Steve turned to face the mirror again.

‘I wonder if it's only pain we can feel.’

Then he heard Tony’s voice. 

‘Hey Capsicle.’

Steve spun around to face Tony’s look of shock. 

“What?” Steve asked, confusion all over his face. 

“I didn't say anything.” Tony was beginning to smile. 

“I heard you though.”

“I didn't say anything. I thought it.” 

Steve just stood there. Thoughts running wild. 

‘I heard Tony’s thoughts? How is that possible?’

“Don't ask me. I'm still testing everything.” Tony looked like he wanted to say something. Like he knew a secret.

“Please tell me you aren't listening to my thoughts all the time.” Steve's voice shook from nerves. 

“I think I can only hear you when it's something you really want to say out loud.” Tony looked down at the floor. 

Steve walked forward and grabbed Tony's arm. With a small smile he let his thoughts do the talking.

‘If you can hear this thought then I guess you know I might have feelings for you.’ 

Tony smiled. A real smile. Even though he had Steve's face, he looked really happy.

‘You better have feelings for me. It'd suck if you rejected me.’ 

Steve laughed at Tony’s ‘words’. Slowly they noticed they were leaning closer. Sure it'd be weird because the were each other but the thought of a relationship between them was to interesting to pass up. That's when they heard a voice.

“I knew it! Natasha you owe me five bucks!” Clint was in the doorway shifting his weight back and forth from excitement.

“I never disagreed with you. I simply stated that there were other possibilities.” Natasha was smiling as she rounded the corner. 

“You know nothing, Barton!” Tony yelled unsure of how to make them believe what they just saw didn't happen. 

“Whoa, look we got Steve to use last names. He must be really flustered.” Clint joked.

“Steve you don't have to be worried about liking the same gender. You guys could have told us.” Natasha sounded like she genuinely cared and Tony felt a pinch of jealousy at the fact that he had to be Steve to get that support. Next to him Steve winced because he could actually feel Tony’s jealousy.

“Just wait til we tell the others!” Clint was practically dancing in place. 

“Clint we aren't teenage girls. We only came down here because we knew something was up, what with Tony waking up early and Steve sleeping in-”

“I didn't sleep in. I went on a run.” Tony interrupted Natasha, earning a death glare from her.

“Oh, sorry Steve. I had assumed that Stark showed you a good time and you were tired out from it.” Clint was really playing with fire. 

‘Like you could tire me out.’ 

Tony practically screamed when Steve's thoughts were heard. 

Clint and Natasha gave each other a look and nodded. Slowly backing out of the room. 

“You guys have fun, sorry to bug you.” Clint grinned. 

Once they were gone Steve laughed until his face was red.

“I can't believe you said that.” Tony was blushing as he spoke.

“I didn't say anything. I thought it.” 

Tony glared at Steve with a smile creeping onto his face. The mood of the atmosphere seemed incredibly lighter. 

Tony reached forward and grabbed Steve's collar. “When everything is back to normal, maybe we can get back to that kiss.” 

Steve went redder than Tony’s Iron Man suit. It was at that exact moment another voice spoke. 

“ So who should I refer to Sir now?”

JARVIS had heard the entire conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See I told you it was boring. Now the next chapter will be better. 
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> Who am I kidding I can't promise that. I don't have a real plan here. Let's just see where this takes us. I'm just as excited as you guys. 
> 
> What's that? Oh you're not excited? I knew it! Party of one over here then!


	4. I'm Your Fucking Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay all I'm going to say is I'm in love with this chapter. You might hate it but I love it so much. 
> 
> I hope you at least appreciate it haha

-Two Days Later.-

Everything went to hell once JARVIS found out. 

The only good thing was that JARVIS agreed to keep their secret. He even tried to help Tony figure out a way to fix the issue. It wasn't JARVIS that was the problem. Tony had become more flirty towards Steve since that day and it honestly scared Steve. It scared him so much he decided he had to do the unthinkable. 

~~~~

“What do you mean Steve?” Tony was laughing a laugh that was no doubt full of worry and false confidence. 

“I'm not sure our feelings for each other are real. I think it's the situation causing them.” Steve hated that Tony wasn't taking this well.

Tony couldn't fight his nervous laugh, even as Steve it plagued him. “That's not very funny, Steve. I mean I know we joke around a lot but-”

“Tony, I'm serious!” Steve yelled, making Tony flinch. 

Steve could hear Tony thinking even if he wasn't sure he wanted him to hear. 

‘Calm down Tony. He only yelled. He's not Howard. Yelling doesn't always mean you get hit..’

Steve's heart sank but he kept a serious look. He was trying to play a convincing Captain America as Tony, and he wasn't sure how well he was doing. 

“We need to fix the problem and then everything can go back to normal.” Steve was practically commanding Tony now. It was the only way to make him listen. 

Tony looked like a he was going to cry. He closed his eyes, shook his head, the opened his eyes again as he spoke. “Right. Of course. That makes perfect sense. It's just the situation messing with our minds. I'll get right to fixing that, Captain.” It felt like literal venom was dripping from Tony’s words. His eyes were like daggers and he was clenching his jaw, resisting the urge to yell at Steve. 

The way Tony said Captain instead of Steve's name felt like a repulsor blast to the chest and Steve wished he was actually shot with an Iron Man gauntlet instead of with Tony’s words. 

Without a second glance, Tony spun around and stormed out of the room, pushing Bruce, who had just gotten to the doorway of the room. Once Tony was gone, Bruce looked at Steve and instantly assumed he was glaring at Tony. 

“Tony, what did you do?” I thought you liked him, why would you screw it up?” 

Steve groaned as he realized everyone would assume Tony fucked up. Just another reason for everyone to be pissed at Tony. Steve wasn't even listening to Bruce anymore. He was waiting to hear Tony’s thoughts in his own head. After what felt like hours of waiting, he realized Tony didn't want to be heard. He wanted nothing to do with Steve and that hurt the super soldier more than anything. 

“Tony! What is wrong with you? Every time we think you'll do the right thing you go and-”

“Stop it! Just stop!” Steve interrupted. He was tired of how people spoke to Tony. He was tire of how they all, including him, thought Tony’s emotions were there for them to judge. Everyone had spent too long knowing the Stark name and not the man and the one chance Steve had to know him was gone. All because he was scared. 

“I know I mess up but you don't have to remind me. There isn't anything wrong with me, Bruce. Thanks for thinking that though.” Steve was trying to imagine how Tony would defend himself. His stomach twisted as he thought that Tony wouldn't defend himself. He'd listen, smile, agree, then go do whatever the fuck he wanted to do.

Bruce remained quiet and Steve took that as a chance to escape. 

Steve hadn't heard from Tony since that night. 

~~~~

Tony has been locked in ‘his’ room since he last talked to Steve. JARVIS had alerted him that he hasn't gone anywhere for two day, but Tony could care less. He was pissed and ths wasn't the “buy one Steve, get his anger free,” deal. This rage was all Tony's.

“Steve's lucky I don't want to punch my own face.”

He had been talking to himself every few hours. Either saying he was stupid for thinking they could work together or that he never really liked Steve. Sometimes he would blare music to drown out his thoughts or to cover the sound of him screaming at his new reflection that he decided he hated. He hoped Steve couldn't hear his thoughts. He didn't need the perfect Captain America feeling sorry for him. 

“That son of a cock loving whore! He treats everyone like soldiers and yet they all love him for his personality. I'm only needed for my money, genius, or sex.” Tony wasn't sure why he felt the need to talk. No one was there to listen. No one ever actually listened. No one…

“Where's Rhodes when I need him. He'd listen a little more than the others.”

Tony jumped when he heard a knock on the door followed by a voice in his head.

‘Tony please listen to me.’

“Go away!” 

‘Tony please.’

Tony held his hands over his ears as he screamed. “Get out of my head!”

Steve actually spoke aloud this time. “Please, just talk to me.”

Tony stormed over to the door, pulled it open, and let his anger out without a second thought. 

“Get out of my head, get out of my heart. Better yet, get out of my life! I don't care what you do, but once I fix this, what did you call it, problem, we're done. You can go back to being the great leader and I'll be waiting for when you need a new gadget. Like a good boy.” Tony smiled a fake smile and slammed the door in Steve's face. 

Steve stood there for what felt like hours, his forehead resting on the door. Tears were forming in his eyes but they refused to fall. Must be a normal instinct for Tony’s body. Don't show emotion was Tony’s default setting and here he had just shown everything to Steve, left his heart out in the open, and Steve pushed it away like it was a piece of trash. No wonder Tony had walls. He expected to be betrayed and the instant he trusted Steve… 

“Oh God, he's been through so much. How is he going to handle this?”

Steve's question was answered the very next day. 

Tony had pulled Steve into the kitchen so they could talk alone without anyone hearing them. 

“I can fix this. I stayed up and I know how to reverse the problem.” Tony sounded so empty. 

“Okay, that's good. Let's go-”

“No, first we're going to play a game.” Tony interrupted, a mischievous grin grew onto ‘his’ face.

Steve raised an eyebrow, confusion about whether he should be worried or not. 

“You think you've had it tough, being me. Don't pretend you haven't thought that. I've heard you thinking it. You haven't dealt with anything compared to what I go through every day. So we don't switch back until I say.” Tony could definitely be a villain if he wanted to. The world was lucky he used his brain for good. 

“Tony I don't think-”

“Shut it, Stark. We have more important things to worry about.” Tony nearly laughed at Steve's shocked look on his own face. 

With that Tony walked out and joined the others on the couch, leaving Steve on his own in the kitchen. Steve could hear the joy the others had when they saw ‘Steve.’ Slowly the man out of time realized that Tony was going to make sure Steve felt everything Tony felt on a daily bases.

‘Feeling number one, unappreciated.’

Steve jumped at hearing Tony’s thoughts again. He had almost gotten used to not hearing Tony in his head and he hated that those were the words Tony used after no communication for two days. Slowly Steve walked into the living room hoping someone would acknowledge him like they did Tony, but no one even looked at him. Not even when he sat on the floor from there being no room on the couch. Natasha was taking up two seats as she laid across Clint’s lap. Bruce had his feet propped up on the chair that was next to the couch, Thor had poptarts occupying a the seat next to him, and Tony smirked as he stole the last two seats by laying down on his back. 

Panic flooded Steve as he realized as long as he was Tony, the others could care less. Being ignored didn't hurt him, it was he thought that this was Tony’s life that killed him on the inside. His worry only grew in size because of what Tony had technically said. This was only feeling number one. How many more were there?

It wasn't until the next day that Steve heard Tony’s thoughts again.

‘Feeling number two, fear.’

Steve had been sitting in the living room all by himself when he heard Tony. The word fear scared him. What was Tony planning? Was something going to attack him? Was this the plan? Say the word fear to make him think something was going to happen. Or was that paranoia? Steve wanted to scream as his thoughts buzzed in his head.

What Tony did was far worse than Steve could imagine. Suddenly with a pop the power went out, just like when Tony’s machine failed. With his heart beating loud in his ears Steve tried to find his way around the room. His hands found a wall that felt more like the wall of a cave than a wall at Stark Tower. Steve's breathing was in short gasps as everything around him became too much.

“Okay I get it! That's enough!” He yelled hoping Tony would fix the power. Hell, fixing the walls would be nce too. Even though Steve himself wasn't afraid of the dark, he could feel the fear. That's when he realized he must be feeling what Tony was feeling right now. That meant Tony was somewhere in the dark, using his own fears to make Steve understand his feelings and that seemed worse than the dark.

Scratch that. What happened next was way worse than the dark and Steve didn't even know why.

Either Tony had a machine do it or he did it himself, but the next thing Steve felt was cold water pouring over him continuously. Steve actually screamed. The fear he felt was definitely built into Tony’s being. This fear of the dark and water was a part of Tony and Steve only knew why the dark was a problem and he hated that. He should at least know why he's scared. Over the water, Steve heard what sounded like the Chitauri, and a lot of them, followed by silence. Deafening silence. Then suddenly the Hulk’s roar rang loud in his ears.

It was that moment when Steve sat up, forehead covered in sweat, breath in short gasps, in ‘his’ bed. Muscle memory causing his arms to grab at his chest only to find nothing there. It had been so long since Tony had that taken out and yet his body still reached for it. Like it was a crutch. 

“It… it was a dream? How?” Steve asked between heavy breaths. 

‘That was one of my nightmares. Welcome to the glamorous life of Tony Stark.’

Tony’s thoughts sounded tired. Almost like he was there. Having those nightmares with Steve. 

‘Tony I-’

Steve was getting tired of being interrupted. 

‘Good night, Captain.’

Steve didn't even want to consider sleep. Not that night and not any night ever again. Whem Tony had explained why he was afraid to sleep, this was definantly more than fear of the dark. With a shaky breath, Steve he decided to get up and shower, promising to keep his eyes closed tight, more from annoyance at Tony and not being very interested in seeing all of him, than promising to not look. He went and found a pair of Tony’s swim shorts to make sure he definitely saw nothing. A shower in a swimsuit was a bit odd but the hot water running down his back was such a calm feeling he could live with the strange circumstances. Especially after how he could feel how cold that water was in Tony’s dream. It almost reminded Steve of the ice. At the memory Steve's breath caught in his throat and he had to take a minute to breathe before he started panicking again. 

“Two down.. who knows how many more feelings to go that Tony wants me to feel.”

That's when Steve had an idea. An awful one indeed but he figured Tony deserved it for putting Steve through all of this. Sure Steve had turned him down but it wasn't like Tony’s feelings were that intense. Steve still believed that majority of those feelings were from the mix up. So why not get back at Tony. Make things even.

When Steve got out of the shower he made sure to squeeze his eyes shut at he dried off and got dressed. He had his heart set on ignoring everything Tony at the moment, so he didn't spend much time looking in the mirror. Completely missing the veins on ‘his’ chest that were turning black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough cough* 
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> Sorry haha


	5. What Made Me Unbeautiful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one I is odd. The ending is a bit weird but I hope you still like it.

Tony woke up at literally screamed at the sight of ‘Steve.’

Steve was fighting back a laugh as Tony looked at his familiar face, that now looked like a different man, for Steve had styled his hair like he normally would and he was wearing what looked like a smaller version of Steve's normal attire. A blue t-shirt and khakis. The sight made Tony shutter. 

“What did you do this for? Did you forget you forget who you were today or something, Rogers? If so it's not funny, so stop smiling.” Tony was fuming now. 

“Calm down. This is payback for the hell I've been put through.” 

“So living my life is hell?”

Steve's eyes went wide as he realized what he said. Tony sounded hurt. Like he had been stabbed in the chest several times. 

“No. I didn't mean.. look I get it you're mad, but that doesn't give you the right to mess with me and until you knock it off I'm make everyone love me no matter who I look like. I'm going to be a better Tony Stark than you ever could be.” Steve instantly regretted his word choice.

Tony looked like he wanted to tear Steve's throat out. 

‘How could he say something like that to me? All I did was share my feelings and he had to mess it all up.’

“Sometimes I want to punch you in your perfect teeth.” Tony looked like he was going to be sick. Steve recognized the look as a look of betrayal and he wished he never got the silly revenge idea. 

Before Steve could speak Tony walked away, head hanging low, and that's when Steve heard it. A small sob. Tony was crying. Because of Steve. With a shaky hand, Steve reached out and grabbed Tony’s shoulder, but was instantly smacked away. The look Tony gave Steve once he turned around was a look of hatred. 

“Go fuck yourself!” Tony screamed, his voice cracking.

“Tony..” Steve couldn't speak any higher than a whisper.

“Do whatever you want. I don't care, but understand this. My feelings have always been real. I've had them way before this situation and I will forever regret letting them show to someone like you. Someone who isn't worth my time or love.” Tony looked disgusted with Steve and that, and his words, broke Steve's heart.

With one last look of rage, Tony spoke, “If you want to be a better me, then you can fix the problem. You are the genius now.” And with that he walked away, forcing Steve to replay his ‘brilliant plan’ in his mind. He had only wanted to make Tony annoyed that no matter who you were, if you acted right, people would like to you. If only he planned ahead, he could've guessed that Tony would take it badly. Then it hit him. Tony took it badly because Steve basically said the only way people would like him was if he was like Steve. Right after he told him his life was hell and that he could be a better Tony than the man himself.

“Fuck!” Steve yelled as he punched the wall next to him. He realized it was a mistake because he instantly heard a crack and with a sharp hiss he grabbed at ‘his’ hand. A look of worry and fear was plastered on his face as he realized he broke two of Tony's fingers. 

“Great. Another reason for him to be mad at me.” 

Only Tony wasn't angry. On the other side of the building he was back in the gym, sitting on a bench, tears falling down his face. This wasn't anger. It was heartbreak. 

“Sir, is there anything I can do to help?”

“Leave me alone, JARVIS.”

“Might I suggest calmly talking to the Captain.”

“No. I have nothing to say to him. This feeling will go away. Just like all the other emotions.”

At that moment a figure stuck their head into the room.

“Oh, hey Cap. I heard JARVIS, and thought Tony was in here.”

“Rhodes!” 

Tony almost jumped up and hugged the man. He had just barely stopped himself when he remembered he wasn't Tony anymore. The one person who he believed he could talk to didn't even know he was already talking to him. 

“So uh, where is Tony?”

“I have no idea.” Tony wasn't sure if he was talking about his own body or his mental state. He honestly didn't know where either of those were at.

“Well he needs to get his ass down here so I can talk to him.” Rhodey was smiling making Tony breathe a sigh of relief. It told him that at least one person wasn't pissed at him. 

“I'm sure he's around.” Tony smirked at his words. 

“Yea I'm sure he is. I'll see you around, Captain.”

‘Number three, failure.”

Tony knew Steve would have heard that thought which was perfect because after thinking that, he jumped up to stop Rhodey from leaving. 

“Can I ask you something? Something about Tony.”

“Sure, Cap. Shoot.”

“I think we have these feelings for each other but he keeps fighting them and now we're fighting and I just need to know.. what do I need to do to be better?”

Tony had to fight the smirk that grew onto his face. Sure he was making himself look like an asshole by saying he was ‘being mean to poor old Steve’ but he couldn't wait until Rhodes confronted Steve, thinking he was chewing Tony out. After that Steve would feel that feeling Tony felt almost every time someone found out he did something they disagreed with. Failure. Disappointment. He hated feeling like he let someone down. So that meant Steve got to know how much he hated it. 

After Tony told the sob story he could imagine Steve telling, Rhodey promised he would talk to ‘Tony’ and once again the genius was left alone to his thoughts. 

‘That's weird. Steve didn't react to my last thought.’

Normally when Tony thought his warning of which feeling was about to flood Steve, the super soldier's mind would go out of control and Tony would hear all of it. Now all he heard was silence. It was actually a scary thing to hear. After waiting a few more minutes Tony tried thinking to Steve again.

‘If he hasn't found you yet, Rhodes is here looking for you.’

Again there was nothing. That's when Tony decided to test their connection even more. He closed his eyes and thought of Steve and surprisingly he swore he could see what Steve was seeing at that exact moment. To bad the sight wasn't pretty. Steve was in ‘his’ room, sitting on the bed looking down at his hands when a sharp pain stabbed him in the chest. With frantic hands, Steve pulled his shirt up to get a look at what the problem was and screamed. All his veins were black and the dark color was traveling through Steve at a rapid speed. 

Tony practically fell once he broke the connection, his breathing heavy, as he took in what he just witnessed. He was dying. Again. Well technically his body was dying. Which meant..

“Oh no.” Reality came crashing down as Tony raced up to where Steve was. 

‘Steve I need you to listen to me.’

No answer. 

“Fuck!”

Tony finally made it to the door of his room and once again he expected it would open instantly only to run into it at full speed. 

“JARVIS this is not the time for privacy!”

“It appears something is blocking the door.”

Steve barricaded the door to keep people out. At a time like this that is what he decides to do. Tony decided he'd be mad later as he started banging his fist on the door. 

“Open up or I swear I'll get a weapon!” Tony was terrified. If his body was failing that didn't mean he'd die. It meant Steve would die and Tony refused to accept that as a possibility. Tony could care less about if he broke a door or two. Steve was more important. After more yelling and pounding on the door, enough to leave dents, Tony ran and grabbed Steve's shield from downstairs. Sure it wasn't a piece of the Iron Man suit but that wouldn't fit Tony at the moment, so he prayed muscle memory would save the day as he tried to break the door and whatever was on the other side. 

With a deep breath Tony tightened his grip on the shield before he took what he assumed was a good stance and threw it right at his door. Probably not the smartest move. The shield bounced off the door and came back at top speed, hitting Tony in the face. With a loud thud he fell onto his back as he held his hands over ‘his’ wounded face. As he lay there, muttering quiet curses to himself, the door opened and Steve slunked out. Obviously weaker than ever since the black in his veins was now visible in his forearms. 

“I don't even want to know what happened.” Steve said as he shook his head at the sight before him. 

“Shut it.” Tony mumbled as he sat up, revealing the black eye that Steve's face was the proud owner of. Tony gave Steve a sheepish grin as he stood up.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry.”

They had both apologized at the same time, catching the other off guard. After a moment of stunned silence, Steve spoke.

“We need to work together through this. I'm sorry for the things I said and I'm sorry I keep thinking I've done nothing wrong.” 

Tony let his eyes drop to the floor s he took Steve's words in. With a nod he started to ramble. “Look I overreacted. You don't want to like me, that's fine, I should have handled it better instead of trying to make you see what I went through everyday. Steve you don't even have to try to be a better me. You already are. I wish I was more like you personality wise than looks right now. Oh and your eye. Yea I didn't plan that one out.”

“Apology accepted.” Steve was smiling. 

“I didn't say I was sorry.” Tony smirked. It was obviously forced though. He looked so emotionally drained from the whole ordeal. Steve understood Tony basically felt betrayed and it would take a while for things to get better between them. Right now any good mood was a natural defense mechanism that Tony used. The mask behind the Iron Man mask. 

“You don't have to say sorry. I know what you meant. I am sorry though and I have no right to ask for forgiveness. You shared your true self with me and I shunned you because I was scared. For that and your broken fingers, I'm sorry.” Steve felt like he was going to cry and he mentally cursed at Tony’s default settings that made it impossible for the tears to fall. He really needed that release from all the emotions that were building up. It was getting to the point where when things got extra emotional, he could feel the want of alcohol burning in his throat. 

“Never thought Captain America would be afraid of commitment.” Tony grinned. 

“I'm serious.” Steve practically giggled like a schoolgirl. 

“I know, I know. Sorry, force of habit.” 

Steve smiled up at Tony and suddenly felt dizzy.

“Tony....?”

The next thing he knew he was falling, and Tony was trying to catch him as he screamed. He felt cold, like he was bad in the ice or maybe it was Tony’s body feeling like he was in that water. Either way Steve was shaking uncontrollably. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. He couldn't hear Tony’s voice but he could see his own face, blurry, but with a look of fear and worry. Steve started coughing and Tony screamed again as blood poured from Steve's mouth with each cough. Tony began to talk quickly and it looked like he was crying. Tony now had some of his own blood technically on his hands, but he could care less about it being his own body failing in front of him. He just wanted to save Steve. Some of Tony's words would echo in Steve's mind but he couldn't concentrate on any of them. It was almost like he had forgotten what words sounded like. 

As his vision went black he heard some Tony's words echo in his ears. 

“Please don't leave me…. I'm going to fix this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it seems like things were resolved a little but don't worry I have a lot in store for you guys. Thanks for the awesome feedback and thanks for sticking around.


	6. Sketching Away My Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys this chapter is the longest one yet. 
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> Bum bum buuuuuuum
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> I hope you like it. I also think that I've decided to make this story 8 chapters. Trust me, I'll write other ones. It only gets better from here.

The sound of machines beeping could be heard in the distance. All that could be seen was total darkness. As the fear of the dark grew the beeping sound became louder and faster. Breathing was becoming forced action and suddenly a strong grip could be felt. It felt like restraints that were so strong, an explosive couldn't break them.

On the other end of that force was Tony. He was a mess as he held Steve's arms in an attempt to calm the man in as hospital bed down. He was having an anxiety attack and he wasn't even awake for it. Tony felt guilty because it seemed like Steve had gotten all of Tony's problems while Tony got the better parts of Steve. Maybe that meant all Tony had were problems. The genius decided that was the truth and he wondered why he didn't figure it out sooner. Tony believed he was as walking problem and he was sure everyone felt the same way. It was that moment, Rhodey decided to walk into the room. 

“If I had known he was hiding this I would have confronted him about it when I brought up what you said.” Rhodey looked like he was losing sleep.

“You actually went to talk to him about it?” Tony thought he hadn't gotten the chance to.

“I tried. He just sat there and ignored me. I don't know why you waste your time with him. All he cares about is himself. I honestly don't think I can take much more of it.” Rhodey didn't look said as he spoke. He looked disappointed and that only proved he meant what he said. 

“You'd just.. leave? Like abandon him?” Tony was using all his mental strength to fight back tears. He couldn't lose Rhodey. Not now. Not ever. The thought of losing him made Tony feel cold. As if all the life drained out of him. 

“Look, Steve I get it, you like him and want to protect him or whatever but I've been dealing with his bullshit for years. He hides things, lies, manipulates, and can't take care of himself let alone those around him. He's never there when you need him and all he cares about is showing off that he's the amazing Tony Stark. He's not good for you to be honest. You're such an amazing person and you don't need Tony bringing you down.” The way Rhodey spoke was as if it was just a normal conversation that had no real importance to it while the man next to him felt like he was dying on the inside. 

This feeling of heartbreak was way worse than the one he felt when Steve rejected him. Steve and Tony were still building a relationship and sure it hurt like hell because Steve was the first person Tony opened up to in a long time, but Rhodey and Tony had history and it was a different kind of love. One where you knew they'd always be there and yet here he was finding out that the whole time his ‘best friend’ thought so negatively of him. Tony had to bite his tongue from telling Rhodey it was really him in Steve's body, just to see the horror as he tried to take back what he said. Then again he'd probably stand by what was already said so Tony decided to stick with being the ‘amazing Steve.’

“Tony would be really heartbroken if he knew you felt that way.” It was surprisingly easy to keep his voice from shaking. 

“And?” Rhodey laughed at Tony’s words, “After all the shit he does I could care less if I hurt his feelings. Besides he can't be heartbroken. He technically doesn't have a heart.” Now Rhodes was laughing at his own words. 

With that Tony stood up abruptly, making Rhodey jump slightly. Tony felt sick. He wanted to punch his ‘friend’ as hard as he could but he knew he could never do it. At this moment the one thing he wanted to do was die. 

“I just remembered I have to meet the other Avengers. I'll be back to check on St-... Tony.” Tony didn't care that he almost mixed up the names. He was to emotional. 

Tony wanted to cry. He really wanted to but Steve wasn't kidding that anger came first. Sure he had cried a few times but at this moment in time Tony pushed the sadness down and went with the anger. He felt like he could walk through walls with ease if he really wanted to. Then he felt it. It wasn't a Steve thing. This feeling was all Tony and he knew it was a horrible idea but he gave into the feeling and the next thing he knew he was in the kitchen with a bottle of Scotch in his hand. 

“Well if the Captain can't get drunk..” Tony mumbled to himself as he started drinking. 

He should have known that because he still had pieces of himself mixed into Steve, that he would get a little buzzed. At least it wasn't full on wasted. He refused to try to explain it at the moment. He didn't want to be the genius who had to fix everything. Once he fixed things he'd be alone until someone needed something fixed again. Tony was two bottles into his rage, the first one now occupied the wall and floor since he threw it from anger, when he wandered around the tower, tripping over ‘his’ own feet as he walked, until found himself in Steve's room. That's when he got the idea to go through the super soldier's belongings because why the hell not. Steve got to see Tony’s emotions in person so he should get to see more about Steve however he wanted to. It was only fair, was what Tony kept telling himself. 

After about a half hour Tony had found multiple photos of Steve and people Tony didn't know. He could only guess it was the people Steve had left behind. His eyes went wide when he found a picture of Steve and the last person Tony wanted to think about. Howard Stark. With a deep breath, Tony pushed the pictures away and went to a new box. He didn’t need to go down memory lane right now. In fact he never wanted to, so he ignored the feelings of being a disappointment and opened the box that was in the farthest corner of Steve's closet. To his surprise the next box was full of books with black covers.

Tony sat on the floor with his legs crossed and grabbed a book from the box. He opened it to the first page and his breath became caught in his throat. They were Steve's sketch books. The majority of Steve's work was war scenes, buildings from different angles, crowded streets, and some of the people from the pictures. Tony was amazed with how realistic the drawings were and he realized he had never seen any of Steve's work until now. After looking through all the books Tony went to put the box back where he found it when something caught his eye. Under Steve's bed was another book. It was wedge between the frame of the bed and the nightstand next to it. That particular book was put there to hide it. Steve didn't want anyone to find that one and Tony couldn't wait to find out why.

“Jeez Cap, you sure have a lot of free time if you draw all of the-” Tony's sly grin fell slowly as his eyes scanned the work of art before him.

The first page was Tony’s lab. Right down to the last coffee cup. Tony bit his lip as he flipped through the pages. Stark Tower from an angle that showed Steve had been outside looking up at it as he sketched. Tony’s Iron Man suit, half of it was beat up and the other half looked like the actual suit. Tony’s arc reactor made to look like Steve's shield design was drawn on it. Tony froze when he found a drawing of him. It was like looking at a photograph, it was that good. The work of art was followed by more drawings of him. Tony working in the lab. Tony drinking coffee. Tony laughing. Tony asleep on the couch. Tony. Tony. Tony. 

The playboy could honestly say his heart had never raced this fast. Happy tears rolled down ‘his’ face once he got to the last page. The artwork wasn't a realistic setting or a detailed person. It was little doodles of Steve and Tony, in cartoon form, together. It was like those drawings kids drew, the equation where their name plus the name of who they liked added together to make a heart that had ‘4 ever’ written in it. Hearts were all over the page and Tony felt a smile grow on his face. Steve… loved him. He only turned him down because he didn't know how to handle those emotions. Especially when Tony had been a little too eager to return them. 

“Okay maybe I came on a little too strong.”

Tony felt a mixture of emotions. Guilt for putting Steve through so much. Anger that it had taken so long for him to make sense of everything. Sadness because during all of this he only proved that everything Rhodey said was true. Confusion over the fact that Steve had a whole sketch book dedicated to all things Tony Stark. But on top of all of that, his main emotion was happiness. Tony actually felt happy for once thanks to Steve. All Steve had to do was be himself and he was perfect and Tony realized needed to make up all the horrible things he did to him ever since they met. That's when Tony knew what to do. 

“I got it. I know how to save him!” With a spring in his step, Tony got up off the floor and ran back to the medical wing of Stark Tower. He was relieved to see no one else was there and he instantly got to work on saving the man he loved with a huge smile on his face.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Steve opened his eyes and instantly closed them on account of the bright light above him. Once his eyes adjusted to the light Steve let his eyes scan his surroundings and he realized he was in a hospital bed. He beeping of the heart monitor scared him only for a split second. Next to him was a curtain that separated him from the rest of the room but he could hear what sounded like another heart monitor on the other side. The pace it was beeping at was a lot slower and Steve felt queasy at the thought of someone dying next to him without being able to help. For what seemed like hours he sat there and let his thoughts run wild, assuming Tony would hear him and come running to check on him. 

‘Tony you better not feed me nasty hospital food.’ 

Steve chuckled at his own thought knowing he’d receive a sarcastic response back any second now. He was surprisingly in a good mood. Even as he remembered what happened before he passed out. 

He was dying. Well Tony was dying but that meant Steve would be the one dead if Tony didn't switch them back soon and there was no way Tony would risk his own life unless he knew how to save his body first. Steve winced as he realized Tony’s body was failing just like it had almost done in the past. It sure didn't feel good to him and that made him hate that Tony had to feel that too. But Steve had to wonder why Tony’s body was slowly dying. He didn't have the arc reactor anymore so he shouldn't be having those symptoms. 

Steve jumped when he heard someone cough on the other side of the curtain. Whoever it was sounded awful. Like they were dying too. That's when Steve decided to sit up and walk around the room. He hated staying in one place for too long. As he wandered around Steve could tell by all the technology in the room that this wasn't a normal hospital. He was still in Stark Tower which slightly improved his mood. It meant that people were working non stop to make him better. Whatever they were doing must have been working so far because he felt a lot better already. Maybe Tony’s body wasn't dying anymore. Steve yawned, realizing how content he felt and when he reached up to rub at his eyes he noticed something. All ten of his fingers were working properly and it hurt to touch his eye. 

“That's … weird.” As Steve spoke out loud panic flooded over him. He ran over to the door that had a mirror on the back of it and jumped at what he saw. 

There he was. Steve. Blue eyes stared back at him. He stood there for a few minutes, poking his face to make sure it was real. Sure one of his eyes was black and swollen but he could still see what was in front of him and it was definitely not Tony’s face. That's when he saw him in the mirror. Tony was behind him… in the other hospital bed. 

“Oh my God, Tony! Are you okay?” Steve ran over to Tony's side and nearly fell as he grabbed a hold of the other man's hand. 

“Hey Steve..” Tony sounded sicker than ever and Steve felt like crying.

“Tony you did it. We're back in-....”

Steve lost the ability to speak. Here he was happy Tony fixed the problem when really he only fixed one. Steve had just noticed that Tony’s veins were still black and the skin around the veins was a pale gray. He literally looked like he was desiccating right in front of him. 

“Tony..?” 

Tony was in between being awake and being out cold. When Steve spoke his eyes fluttered open and he gave Steve a look of confusion. Almost like the genius’ mind couldn't process something and that was scarier than anything Steve had ever dealt with. If Tony’s mind wasn't right the world was in trouble. 

“You're… um.” Tony laughed a small laugh as he stopped to think. ”Steve? Right…?”

Steve's heart stopped. This thing that was killing Tony had already started messing with his brain. Steve didn't know what to do. Tony was the only one who could fix this. Without Tony what would happen to the team? To Steve? Suddenly, Nick Fury walked in the room. 

“Captain, you're finally up off your ass.” 

“Cut the crap Fury and tell me how to help him.” Steve practically jumped up in Fury’s face. 

“Calm down. A team is coming in to help him.” 

“How?” 

Fury paused. Obviously hesitant on telling Steve what the plan was. Steve was tired of waiting so he reached forward and grabbed Fury by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. (No pun intended I swear.)

“Please. Tell me.”

Fury sighed, “We would have to put the arc reactor back in to even give him a chance of surviving another year.” 

Thankfully Tony had fallen asleep again so he didn't hear the plan that Steve assumed he'd hate. 

“Is that the only option?” Steve was in full Captain America mode. He didn't want to deal with his emotions right now. He didn't want to break. He needed to be strong for Tony. 

“I'm afraid so. I'll give you time alone with him before the procedure.” With a sad look on his face, Fury left. 

Steve ran back over to Tony and grabbed his hand again only tighter, too afraid to let go. 

“Hey Dorito…” Tony smiled weakly at the contact. 

“Why did you switch us back? Now you're dying and I don't know what to do. “

“Maybe because I'm selfish and if you died I couldn't live without you. I figured if one of us had to die it had to be me. You're too important for this world….you're too good..” Tony was losing his train of thought again.

Steve didn't want to risk losing Tony before he understood how he felt. So he leaned forward and kissed Tony with as much desperation as he could. Once he backed away he whispered to a now smiling Tony. 

“Please don't leave me. You still owe me for all the crap you pulled you asshat.”

Tony smiled and whispered, “Language, Rogers.”

Then he passed out and the next thing Steve knew was he was being pushed out the door by doctors and nurses. Once he was out in the hallway the door slammed shut in his face, leaving Steve alone to hope and pray that Tony would be okay. Steve's heart sank as his mind realized he was alone. No other Avenger was there and he didn't know if they had ever shown up. That made him furious. 

‘I swear to God, I will kill them.’

Steve heard a small chuckled in his head.

‘Save some killing for me.’

Steve smiled as he realized he and Tony were somehow still connected. As long as he heard Tony thinking he would know if he was okay and that gave Steve enough hope to last at least two hours. After that, Steve had gotten tired waiting and with a heavy breath he tried talking to Tony again.

‘This shouldn't be taking this long.’

No response. 

Steve began to panic when a doctor walked out into the hallway. 

“How is he? He's okay right?” Steve was rambling like Tony. 

“Captain, I've got good news and bad news for you….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatcha think? 
> 
>  
> 
> Comments are always welcomed and I wouldn't mind if anyone wanted to do some fanart based on this. Just throwing that out there. I love making fanart so it seems like a cool thing. 
> 
>  
> 
> Okay I'm done begging for love. Hope you like it .


	7. And I Will Wait For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummmm ta da!

Steve had gotten tired of waiting and waiting. Tired of not knowing. Tony was right the unknown was scary. The head doctor did tell him that everything seemed to be going good except for the fact that Tony had woken up early, saw the arc reactor, and panicked. He had tried to claw it out of his chest, yelling that he didn't want the horrible thing back and he didn't care if he died. The doctor said that Tony said he wanted to die and after those words were said Steve excused himself and walked out of the room crying. Steve then decided to go do the one thing he knew he was good at. Draw. He knew it would calm him down and prevent him from thinking about Tony being suicidal.Once he was in his room he slightly panicked when he saw one of his sketch books was just sitting on his pillow. He ran over opened it and winced. It was the one with all his Tony drawings. He hated to admit it but he was truly obsessed with the guy and when he would sit with him for hours each day there wasn't much around that caught his eye so he would settle on drawing the playboy. 

Then his eyes saw a piece of paper sticking out from the last page. He blushed at the thought of that page. It was so childish but it only showed that Steve's feelings for the man were pure. Sure he was terrified when Tony found out and he went into full Captain America mode and practically ruined his chance of being with Tony, but his actions hurt him too. He still loved Tony.

‘Do I love him?’

Steve shook his head pushing his thoughts down. He was tired of questioning everything. He deserved to be happy god dammit. So did Tony and he'd have to be insane to keep questioning what was right in front of him. He loved Tony Stark and that was final. 

“I love Tony Stark…” Steve practically jumped with joy as he said the words. He couldn't help but wish the could say them to Tony's face but he was still standing here smiling until his face hurt. It felt good to say it out loud. He was so happy he almost forgot about the paper he knew he didn't put there. Once he unfolded it his joy dropped and was replaced with bittersweet worry.

‘Dear Capsicle,

You're probably wondering why everything is back to normal. It's because I'm a genius and I figured out how to save you. You're welcome. More importantly I already know you're going to be pissed when you see my body is still failing. Yea that I haven't figured out yet and I might never get the chance to. Whatever is causing my body to die the same way it was in the past is working at an alarming rate. I might be too out of it to be a super genius and save myself. 

God is it a problem that I can imagine you telling me to be serious. Okay calm down grandpa. The real reason I'm writing this is because I wanted to let you know basically everything. Starting with the fact that your art is really good. (SORRY I COULDN'T RESIST AND I WAS DRINKING AND I WASN'T DRUNK BUT I WASN'T RIGHT IN THE HEAD SO I WENT THROUGH YOUR STUFF.) But I mean it. You're really talented and possibly a bit of a genius when it comes to drawing. 

Now I know there's a lot left to say but I'm going to stick with the more important things. I swear I love you it's scary. But a good scary. One I'm willing to live with. I'm sorry I messed up any chance we had of making things work by messing with you and trying to teach you a lesson. Even though you did change my look, I guess I can forgive that (wait that means you showered. You son of a bitch Steve I haven't showered for days because you made me promise. Whatever at least you got to see an amazing view.)

Again I wish I could apologize to your face but I'm running out of time to save you. I can literally hear you telling me I should have waited to switch us back until we were both safe but I figured if one of us were to die it should be me. I've spent my whole life making mistakes and screwing people over so I want my last deed to be a good one.’

Steve could see what looked like tear stains on the paper. Tony must've started crying when he got to this part of his letter. That's when Steve realized he had started crying too. The thought of Tony taking the time to write out his feelings felt like a hand was squeezing Steve's heart. He didn't really want to continue reading but he pushed past the fear of being flooded by emotions and continued.

‘That sounds so weird. Last deed. Maybe we should call it something else. You better come visit my badass looking grave and tell me everything that you've been up too. Promise me you won't be too hard on the other guys. I guess I can understand why they're so pissed when it comes to me. I've kind of been pranking them a lot. My bad. I know that I'm not a perfect person so I won't be too heartbroken if they don't say goodbye to me before I go. I do know that Bruce and Thor came by though. JARVIS told me that. I guess it'll take more time for the others. Oh well. What's important now is that you understand I never meant to hurt you. You gave me the one thing I've always wanted. Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.

-Tony

Steve let the letter fall out of his hand. His legs felt weak. Tears were rolling down his face and finally he let the emotions take over. He began to openly cry, not caring who heard, as he fell to his knees. His whole body felt cold. His thoughts told him to run to Tony's side but his legs refused to cooperate. Whole he cried he didn't hear someone enter the room. Arms wrapped around him, holding him close, as they tried to get him to stand up.

“Steve! Look at me! It's me, Pepper.”

Steve took a deep breath in and looked at her like she broke into his room. She had tear stains on her face. She looked like she had gone through hell and back. 

“Steve I'm so sorry. I didn't know… I didn't think. Steve I didn't know he was hurting. I got so used to thinking he was okay. I'm sorry…” 

Pepper was shaking as she spoke. “Happy is down there with Tony right now. Don't be mad at him. He's been with me traveling around on Stark Industries business. We figured Tony would call if something was wrong.” 

“Pepper, it's okay. I didn't exactly take Tony as someone who had problems exactly. I think because he ignored them it was easier for everyone to ignore them too.” Steve felt awful for admitting that even though it was most likely true. 

At that moment Natasha came running in.

“Steve what the hell?” 

“What did I do?” Steve honestly had no idea why she was mad. 

”Fury just told me where Tony was. Why didn't you call us?”

“I thought you knew and that you just didn't want-”

“You thought we didn't want to be there?”

Steve looked at the floor, deciding to stay quiet.

“Steve, that's ridiculous. Sure we argue with him and he can be really annoying, but we'll be there when he's in trouble.”

“Nat, he's been in trouble everyday.”

Natasha and Pepper both stared at Steve like he just cursed them out. Steve could care less though so he kept talking. 

“He felt like no one cared about him. Like he was only needed for his brain. He saw how differently he was treated compared to everyone else. Nat, he told the doctor he wants to die…” As the last few words came out of Steve's mouth he began to cry again. 

“Steve, we're going to fix this.” Natasha put her hand on Steve's shoulder.

“We promise we'll be better.” Pepper whispered.

“Sorry but your promises don't mean much to me right now.” Steve glared at them. How could they think a simple apology would be enough? 

“And we understand completely.” Pepper said with a small smile.

Clint came running into the room, out of breath and his eyes wide.

“Cap, we've got a problem.”

“What is it?” Steve couldn't help becoming Captain America but this time there was less force in his voice and more concern.

“They found out what's killing Stark. It's not the same thing as before. There's a chemical in his blood, no one knows how it got there, but it's poisoning him. The arc reactor isn't helping like they thought it would.”

“Chemical?” Steve started thinking about everything Tony had said before. 

“It's got to be the chemicals he was using to make a new element. It's in my blood too, but the serum must have washed it out of me.” Steve felt like a genius for thinking that up.

“How did it get in your blood?” Natasha questioned.

“Long story. I'll tell it later when Tony's sitting next to me to tell it too. I have an idea that might save him.” 

With that Steve was running to the room where Tony was. The others followed as quickly as they could but it was difficult because Steve was running at an alarming speed. Once they made it to Tony's at home hospital room they were shocked to see the billionaire was wide awake. Still trying to claw the arc reactor out with his bare hands. The doctors must have made it to where he couldn't take it out on his own anymore.

Steve ran forward and grabbed Tony by the wrists to stop him from scratching his chest up anymore. There was already blood coming out of the claw marks he had been making for who knows how long. Tony looked awful with pale skin, black veins halfway up his face, blood under his fingernails, bloodshot eyes, and blood on his teeth and chin from all the coughing he did. Steve felt his breath stick in his throat as he fought back tears. 

“Tony, look at me. I'm going to save you.”

Tony froze and smiled a forced smile at Steve.

“Steve… I want to tell you in person… I love you… I just wanted to make sure you knew that.” Tony closed his eyes, assuming that was his final goodbye to Steve. 

“I'll have tell you I love you too tomorrow morning because you aren't leaving me today.” 

Steve got up and started searching through drawers, on tables, and in cabinets until he found what he needed. A syringe. Without a second thought he pushed the needle in his forearm and filled it with his blood. It looked normal and Steve let out a sigh of relief. There was no chemicals left in his system. His blood was safe. Safe and full of the serum. With a deep breath out Steve turned to Tony and grabbed his arm. He hesitated only for a second before he injected Tony with his blood. Once the needle was empty he threw it to the floor and waited, ignoring everything else around him. He didn't even notice that the whole team including Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy, were there behind him. After awhile of waiting each one of them eventually left, saying a goodbye to Steve as they left him alone with Tony. It was there Steve sat by Tony's side, on his knees, holding the other man's hand. It was there Steve waited and waited.

And waited some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me.


	8. Dear Mr.Stark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi hi hi hi. So um yea. This chapter is uh. Interesting. 
> 
> I've never written one like it. Hell, I didn't start writing anything that had to do with relationships cause I'm awkward and I feel like my ideas are stupid in that area of things. 
> 
> So this is a warning. 
> 
> WATCH OUT FOR STUPID CHAPTER. 
> 
> CAUTION DUMB WRITER WALKING.

   - _Two weeks later-_

_**“Dear Tony, It's been two weeks since you fell into a coma. On the bright side, you look good. I'll even say handsome in hope that you'll smile that amazing smile when you read this. I don't know when you'll read this, but this is just in case you wake up when I'm not there. You told me to tell you about everything I've been up too so here I go.**_

**_Clint and Nat came by again today. They stayed and watched movies with you. They picked Mulan. They thought you'd find that funny. They feel really awful about how strained your relationship with them is so don't be too hard on them when you wake up. I know I was. (I might have chewed everyone out the other day.)_ **

**_Thor had to go back home last night. He told me to hug you as hard as I could if you wake up before he gets back. I said I would but you don't have to worry about that. I don't want to break any more bones of yours._ **

**_Bruce seems extra guilty for how we've been treating you. Everytime he visits you he says he's sorry and then he'll just sit there with you or fall asleep in the chair next to you. It's kind of nice having him around. It feels good to know someone else is here watching over you when I can't._ **

**_Pepper is really trying to find a way to wake you up. She's calling all the best doctors, scientists, and anyone in between. Sadly they can't figure out why you won't wake up. They aren't as smart as you, Tony. They called your condition a unpredictable coma. Not sure if that's a proper scientific term but the do know more than me. At least I would hope. It worries me though. Pepper is running herself ragged. Maybe when you wake up you can talk some sense into her. She's also kept Happy with her. I think she likes the company. That and while you're away they're keeping things in order so I guess I can understand why they visit through phone calls and facetime only._ **

**_Rhodey… I told him what happened to us. Only him. I figured he should know since he's your best friend. Once I told him, he looked sick. He started crying about how you were going to hate him and that he was sorry. I haven't seen him since then. But I'm sure he'll come around. I just wish I knew why he thought you hated him._ **

**_Finally me. I'm not doing too well, Tony. I'm not really sleeping much. Actually, the only time I do sleep is when I'm here by your side. But it's rare. I blame you. I'm up worried sick about you. I've been drawing more though. I refuse to draw you in this room though, so if I draw you I try to draw you happy. It's mostly from memory but they look okay. I'm waiting to tell the others what all happened to us. How we were each other. I'm waiting so we can tell the story together. Oh and yea… I showered as you but I wore a swimsuit to make sure I didn't see anything. (Maybe when you wake up we can change that after some time, look I'm talking like you now. You're such a bad influence.) I miss you, Tony. When you wake up I'm going to hug you and kiss you and then I'm going to punch you for switching us back to normal without saving yourself first-”_ **

   Steve stopped halfway through the what he planned on writing when he saw it over his note. Tony’s hand twitched. He about the the letter in the air as he jumped out of his seat to Tony's side. Steve was practically begging for Tony’s eyes to open.

   “Come on Tony. Look at me. I know you can. I bet you're just waiting to talk non stop for hours. Please Tony, just glare at me with your incredible brown eyes... please.” Steve was using all of his mental strength to keep from crying. If tears clouded his vision, he wouldn't be able to see Tony wake up and give everyone hell for worrying. The man out of time reached forward and rested his hand on the side of Tony’s face, rubbing small circles with his thumb, as he smiled weakly at the unconscious man.

   “Tony…?”

   Slowly Tony’s eyes struggled to open. The room was too bright at first for his eyes to focus on anything. All he knew was that someone had been talking to him. Someone said his name. Or maybe he dreamed it. The genius was, for once, unsure about something. Well, he's been unsure about a lot of things, not that he'd admit them out loud. He had definitely been unsure about Steve's feelings towards him. Hell, he was still unsure. Sure, Steve had an entire sketchbook full of everything Stark, but that could easy be blamed on the fact that everything around the super soldier was made by Stark or was Tony himself, ever since they started hanging out more. Once again, Tony could hear a voice. He tried to open his eyes again, even slower than the first time. What he saw took his already limited breath away.

   The way the bright hospital lights were shining behind Steve's worried form made the soldier look like what could only be described as an angel from heaven. Tony had to blink several times to make sure Steve was really Steve, and not his guardian angel here to take him to the other side. Even though Tony was more than sure he wouldn't be following an angel anytime soon. Maybe it was Hell’s way of starting his eternal suffering. Make him think the man he loves his taking him to heaven, when in a few minutes the angel turns into his father or something and drags him to Hell, yelling the whole way down.

   “...Steve?” Steve started laughing as the tears fell down his face. Grabbing at Tony’s face with a sense of urgency, as he brushed Tony’s hair out of his face with shaky hands. Eventually he was just brushing his hands over Tony’s face just to make sure he was really there.

   “Oh my God, Tony! I'm so glad you're okay! I'm so sorry for everything! You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice and see your beautiful eyes looking at me.” Steve was rambling so fast, Tony could barely process a single word. All he knew was that Steve had been worried about him, and now he was definitely happy to see him.

   “Steve? What… happened?” Tony was taking deep breaths in between each word. He wasn't sure why. It was either from suddenly having Steve in his face or from just waking up.

   “You've been asleep. For weeks. Two to be exact. Everyone's been worried about you. We thought… we thought you'd never wake up.” Steve broke the eye contact between the two of them as he tried to hide his doubt that the had earlier.

   “It's gonna take a lot more than… whatever was killing me, to kill me.” Tony automatically pulled out his fake confident, Stark Smile. Steve's eyebrows burrowed at the thought. If Tony was instantly using that look again, it meant gaining his trust back would take longer than he hoped.

   “It's was the chemicals that switched us. It was poisoning you. I'm not sure what was in there exactly, but if it was killing you the same way as before, something in it must have been similar.” Steve looked at Tony with a look of concern but underneath it was a look of anger. Tony couldn't have been stupid enough to work with the same stuff that nearly killed him before. Right?

   Tony looked up at the ceiling, obviously avoiding Steve's accusation, but undoubtedly answering the man's question.

   “Tony… you're a fucking idiot!” Steve couldn't stop himself from yelling.

   Tony laughed, a real laugh. One where his nose scrunched up and his eyes were shut tight. Instantly Steve's anger melted. His mouth fell open and his eyes went wide as a deep blush formed on his face.

_‘God, his laugh is amazing.’_

   In that moment, Steve's mind told him he should have a serious talk with Tony about their feelings towards each other. That they needed to figure out what to do know. His mind was once again telling him to have a plan for everything.

   “Screw it.” Steve shrugged his shoulders as he lunged forward and trapped Tony in a passionate kiss. All of Tony's doubts about Steve's feelings, washed away as he sat up to return the favor. The position they were in was slightly awkward, but neither of them cared, especially when Steve bit down on Tony’s lip, causing the man to groan. Tony mentally cursed at all of the equipment that was hooked up to him because it was only “in the way.” He didn't care if it was keeping him alive, he just wanted to be up against Steve without worrying about pulling a plug or something. The kiss was messy. From lust and from them avoiding the technology that was connected to Tony but that didn't stop Steve from pulling Tony closer. His mind was running wild now. He knew they should stop for Tony’s health, in case someone walks in, and before they went too far without having a serious talk. On the other hand, Steve didn't want to stop. He was fighting every urge he had to climb onto the hospital bed with Tony.

   Suddenly Tony pulled away, his breathing heavy. He tried to listen for anyone entering the room, but it was hard to concentrate as Steve kept kissing at his neck.

   “Steve, I think someone is about to walk in…” Tony mumbled out as he held in a moan, when Steve bit into his skin. In between kisses on Tony’s neck and jawline, Steve spoke.

  “I'm sure. They'd leave us. Alone. If they saw. What we. Were doing.” Tony started giggling as he tried to push Steve back. When he finally succeeded, Steve made a pouting face at him.

   “Later.” Tony whispered as he looked Steve in the eyes with a lust filled look. Right at that moment, the door opened slowly, to reveal Rhodey, of all people. Instantly Tony thought about all the things he had said about him but kept quiet, still not aware that Steve had told him the story.

   “...Tony, I'm so sorry for everything I said. I was mad. More tired actually. Tired of all the bullshit you put everyone, including yourself, through.”

   “What are-” Tony tried asking.

   “I told him what happened, Tony. I figured you'd want him to know. Steve look showed confusion. He still hadn't found out why there was tension between the two men.

   “I don't know, Rhodes. The things you said weren't exactly what I needed to hear from you at the time..” Tony flashed Rhodey a smile small that made it feel like there was an icy fist, crushing his heart.

   “Look I understand. Take as much time as you need to hate me. I promise I'll make it up to you.” Rhodey looked like he was ready to cry. So did Tony and all Steve could do was hope they figured things out. Tony nodded in Rhodey’s direction and smiled. Rhodey smiled back and turned to leave. He stopped right in the doorway and laughed before turning to face the other two men.

   “By the way. We knew you woke up because Fury has cameras in here to make sure we'd know when you were awake.” With a smile on his face, Rhodey left, leaving behind a blushing Iron Man and Captain America.

~~~~~~~~~~

   It had taken Tony three more days of recovery before he was allowed to leave the hospital wing. He had complained the whole time about how it was Stark Tower so he should be allowed to go anywhere but he complained a lot less when Steve was around so everyone made sure to bring the super soldier anytime they visited. Tony made sure to poke fun at Steve for a good three hours about how he wrote a letter to the genius everyday since he went into a coma, but he never admitted that when Steve wasn't around, he'd read each one multiple times. His smile bigger each time.

   If anyone had asked Tony how his first day back was, he would have to keep out a lot thanks to Steve. Once they were away from everyone else, Steve had practically picked Tony up by his shirt and pushed him against the wall as he kissed him forcefully. Tony tried talking Steve into taking their fun fest into his bedroom but his words were already lost. He should be annoyed that Steve can make his mind go blank in 0.3 seconds, but he decided he could be mad later. At an alarming speed Steve had already crouched down to be eye level with Tony’s crotch, earning a laugh from the billionaire.

   “Someone's a little eager.”

   Steve snorted. “Your face might be good at hiding it, but something tells me you are too.”

   Tony glared downwards. No matter how hard he tried to hide every emotion on his face, the one emotion he couldn't hide was lust. Still looking down at himself, Tony laughed.

   “I guess you could say it's being a dick.” Tony looked up at Steve to see if he made him laugh only to be met with a signature Captain America glare.

   “Really? Puns?”

   “Sorry.”

   Steve rolled his eyes as he smiled. His eyes dropped back down to Tony’s pants. Tony was already losing his mind from the way Steve was looking at him. At that moment, Steve decided to be ‘a teasing asshat’ and unbutton Tony's pants normally, but then unzip them with his teeth as he looked Tony in the eye. The sound Tony made at the sight was definitely one he wouldn't be caught dead making but being with Steve was a different story. He didn't care if Steve heard the noises he made. Hell, he hope Steve would make a sound. Any noise would be nice. After what felt like hours of waiting, Steve finally let Tony’s excited member free from his pants.

   “Commando?” Steve raised an eyebrow at the man standing above him.

   “You look so surprised.” Tony smiled.

   Steve, instead of responding, wrapped his mouth around Tony’s hardened member, earning a deep growl like noise from the playboy. Tony was, for once, not lost in thought. The way Steve's mouth felt around him made it impossible to think. Especially when Steve started bobbing his head, causing Tony to make what would be considered, unprofessional sounds. The genius was a mess within seconds. Not a bad mess, but he was unable to hold still, control his breathing, or even think. His hands were weaved through the super soldier's hair, pulling it in different directions as hard as he could while he tried not to buck his hips forward to much. Even when he was getting the best blow job he's ever had, Tony couldn't keep quiet. At least his words weren't really words. They were more, incoherent babbling with a random ‘fuck’ or ‘Steve’ mumbled here and there. Steve was enjoy the view from where he was at. So much, in fact, that he started palming himself through his pants. Tony Stark was right above him, not being stuck in his own mind. He wasn't full of worry or fake confidence. He was right there in the moment, only caring about what was happening between his legs. Steve had to admit the sight was the sexiest thing he's ever seen and he didn't really care about being pleasured in return. Sure he couldn't wait until that happened but he could watch Tony shake with pleasure for hours. But, they both knew that wasn't possible, especially when Tony was already trying to pull Steve off of him.

   “Stev.. ‘m gon-na..” Tony's voice was shaking uncontrollably and at certain times it would get stuck in his throat, the sound causing Steve to moan around Tony. The billionaire’s hands were stuck between deciding to pull Steve off of him, of hold Steve in place as he basically fucked his face. It didn't matter what Tony decided though, because Steve stayed where he was at, like he was made of stone. Seconds later, Tony was pushed over the edge as he came, with a moan, into Steve's mouth. It seemed like hours before he calmed down again. Slowly, Steve backed away, releasing Tony once he was sure the other man was done, followed by cleaning up the mess with his tongue. Tony grabbed Steve by the shirt and lead him up to eye level, with an intense look in his eyes.

   “Holy shit, you are not human I swear. How in the hell are you so damn perfect.” Tony was once again rambling, but once he stopped he pulled Steve into a rough kiss.

   Steve laughed into the kiss. “I love you too, Tony.”

   Tony broke the kiss and smirked. “I didn't say anything.”

   “But you thought it.”Steve grinned, making Tony’s heart skip a beat.

   “Cap, I think I'm going to miss you in my head.” Tony was actually telling the truth. Hearing Steve's thoughts had it's benefits and he'd definitely miss the connection between them. Even if they used it to mess with each other more often than not.

   “Tony, wasn't I just there?”Steve laughed while Tony finished buttoning his pants.

   “Dumbass. I said in my head. Not my head in you. God that wasn't even funny.” Tony rolled his eyes but couldn't stop smiling at Steve's comment.

   “Well it's still early.”Steve grinned at Tony when he saw the philanthropist blush a deep shade of red. The continued the playful banter as the walked together towards Tony’s room, unaware of the third person who had recently walked by at the last second and was now hiding around the corner.

   “I swear to God. Why is it always me who walks in on people?” Clint asked out loud as he threw his arms up in frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .................hi.


	9. Celebrate Like Kings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I want to thank you all for the feedback and the kudos and for just being amazing. 
> 
> As a token of gratitude I give you the last chapter. Now I will say keep an eye out for some extras I might post. Not sure what they'll be but hey who doesn't enjoy a surprise?

Steve was shaking. Never had he felt this scared. He was terrified. He had everything planned out like always and yet here he was, afraid to move, feeling like he'd puke. This moment was scarier than when he woke up in a different time. Worse than when Tony flew the nuke into space. More terrifying than when Tony nearly died almost three years ago. 

‘God that was so long ago.’ Steve chuckled at the memory of being Tony for at least a week. 

With a shaky breath, Steve got out of the car he had been panicking in, and walked up to the doors Stark Tower. The only reason everyone was meeting here was to celebrate a job well done against Ultron. Tony’s most recent project gone wrong. 

‘Yea Ultron was definitely Tony’s worst mistake yet.’

Everyone had been furious with the genius but with Tony apologizing everyday at least once an hour, by buying everyone expensive gifts, or by staying up all night creating a new device that would make them happy, it was hard to stay mad. Steve hated that everyone hated him less when he got them things but when the billionaire kept giving it wasn't hard to see why. The super soldier didn't need gifts. When he found out what Tony saw and caused him to build Ultron, Steve was able to understand that Tony was just trying to protect the people he cared about. 

“You might be a genius, but I swear to God Tony you're such an idiot.”

Steve laughed at the memory. Once he was in the elevator of the tower he started to worry again. There were so many ways his plan could go wrong. The elevator opened and he put on a smile. It was fake at first but when he saw everyone there, together, he couldn't help but feel better. 

“Hey Cap! How's it going?” Clint jumped over to Steve's side. 

“Clint, we just saw each other yesterday. And every other day before that.” Steve laughed at his, for once, dressed up friend. Clint was definitely a good looking man. He was just a kid at heart. Steve was actually surprised when the group found out he had a family, but now it made sense. Clint was probably the definition of a great father. 

“Hey, you never know. Something could happen at anytime.” Clint shrugged his shoulders. 

“That's what scares me.” Steve mumbled.

“Don't be scared. It's just a party!” Clint exclaimed as he ran to the bar. 

Steve scanned the room and his smile faltered when he spotted Natasha. Slowly he walked forward and put a hand on her arm. 

“We'll find him. I promise.” Steve whispered.

Natasha nodded sadly. Bruce hasn't returned yet and she was taking it hard. Steve could understand. He'd feel the same way if Tony fled into the unknown. 

“If you need to talk, let me know. Okay?” Steve smiled a small smile at his good friend. 

Again, Natasha nodded sadly, avoiding eye contact. Before Steve could try and cheer her up more, she turned and faced the table in front of her. Steve took that as his cue to leave. Now he was searching for another familiar face. Everyone who came to the celebration were unknown to him and he secretly hated it. He wanted to talk to people so he'd know more than just the Avengers or SHIELD agents but he'd most likely never see these same faces again. 

The next face Steve did recognize, was Thor's, even when it was stuffed with food. Steve sat down next to Thor and patted a hand on the God's back. 

“How the Earth hasn't run out of food with you here yet is a mystery as old as time.” Steve smiled. 

Thor swallowed whatever he had been eating and grinned. “Captain Rogers, you have arrived! And I see you've brought humor to the table.” 

Thor suddenly dropped his smile and stared at the super soldier. 

“Captain? What is bothering you?”

Steve’s eyes went wide. He could have sworn he was hiding his concern perfectly.

“Nothing. Just a lot on my mind.” Steve was technically telling the truth.

Thor nodded. “Does this have anything to do with Anthony?”

“I promise it's nothing.”

After eyeing Steve for an extra few seconds, Thor shrugged his shoulders. “If you say so.”

Steve forced as smile as he stood up to walk away. His eyes darted around the room for one last person he was hoping to see. Steve wouldn't have been surprised if Tony didn't show up. The genius knew everyone was indifferent towards him at the moment so he could say he wouldn't go to avoid the feeling of disappointed eyes staring at him. Even after being with Steve for three years now, the playboy was still a mystery when it came to his emotions. That wall was still up but it was made of a weaker material than before. After waiting for an hour, jumping every time the elevator opened, Steve assumed Tony wasn't coming. They had talked over the phone earlier in the week and Tony didn't exactly agree to come, so Steve tried not to get his hopes up. With all hope nearly gone, the elevator made a ‘ding’ sound and it opened to reveal the genius, looking as handsome as ever. He was in a black suit. Not a colorful one he'd normally where. He looked formal except for his black tie that he had already loosened. He didn't look tired or like he hasn't eaten. He looked perfect. 

Sure, Tony looked amazing everyday but today was different. The music that played became silent in Steve's hears. Everyone around him became a blur and it was almost like he was moving in slow motion. Instantly, Steve could feel that fear, he had been holding on his shoulders for the past month, slam into him at full speed. His breath became caught in his throat and he blinked rapidly hoping to calm his nerves. They didn't falter one bit once Tony saw him, smiled, and walked in his direction.

“Hey Cap, you look worn out. Have you been doing the Charleston without me?” Tony grinned.

“You look incredible.” Steve blurted out as he blushed.

Tony’s eyes lit up at Steve's words. “You really know how to make a guy feel special.” 

Steve couldn't respond. He was breathing heavy, resulting in a confused look from Tony.

“Steve?”

Steve started rambling. He didn't even remember a word the said. His arms danced through the air as he spoke. His face was burning and he knew it was red. Making eye contact was not an option as he talked faster and faster with each word. He was so panicked he hadn't realized how loud he was talking as his speech caught everyone's attention.

Just because Steve didn't hear his own words didn't mean Tony wasn't hanging on every single one. 

“I'm not sure how this is going to sound but I need you to know that you're my favorite person. I wish I was able to prepare a better speech for you.. I mean I have one ready, I kind of just forgot it two seconds ago. That's not important, what is though is the fact that I've almost lost you several times. That’s not okay. From before I understood my feelings for you and after, you've nearly died and I can't handle that. These past few years since I woke up haven't been easy but you make them memorable. All the times I thought I was alone, I had you. You always saw the good in me even when I showed the exact opposite. You trusted me when trusting people was a hard thing for you and I'm forever grateful. If I had known what it's like with you back then I wouldn't have waited to share my feelings. I wouldn't have been scared. Even though I had no reason to be. The three years we've been together have been the best of my life, Tony. I hope you feel the same way.”

Steve paused to take a deep breath in.

“Basically everything about you is perfect. From your incredible mind to your beautiful heart. You've gone through so much in your life that wasn't very good and I hate that. So I want to make sure that the rest of your life is the best it can be. God, this night is either going to suck or be the best night ever… what I'm trying to say it… Anthony Edward Stark, I love you and I can't lose you without ever actually having the chance of being yours and I know it'd make more sense if we moved in together first, but we technically already do so I guess all that’s left is for you to marry me.”

Steve was practically gasping for air now. Eyes shut tight waiting for Tony’s response. Only a response didn't come. Slowly Steve opened his eyes to see Tony standing there staring back with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but he didn't know what to say. After opening and closing his mouth, like a fish without water, several times Tony gave up on speaking. Tony Stark had gone speechless for once. Instead he reached forward and grabbed Steve's face with both hands on each side, and kissed the taller man with so much love and adoration. Once the genius broke the kiss he stared Steve in the eyes, with his own full of joyful tears, and nodded uncontrollably as he was still rendered speechless. The room cheered out with excitement as they raised their drinks in the air.

Steve let out a breath of relief before he picked Tony up in a bear hug. Leaving kisses all over the billionaire’s face. 

Tony laughed and finally spoke. “Holy shit, Steve. How long have you been planning this?”

“I think I always knew I wanted to ask you, but I got the ring about seven or eight months ago.”

“You got a ring?” Tony was honestly shocked. 

“Of course, how else will people know you're mine?”

“Either the ring or a few bite marks here and there cause there's no way I'm changing my last name. Rogers’ Industries. Doesn't have the same effect.” Tony grinned at his now fiancé. 

“Keep it up, ‘Rogers’. You can always sleep on the couch.” Steve laughed at Tony’s pouting face.

“Well Mr.Stark, I'd like to see you try to make me. Within about twenty minutes you'll come get me for some alone time I'm sure.” Tony smiled a huge smile at the sight of Steve's blush. 

“Hm, Steve Stark does sound kind of nice.” Steve thought out loud. 

“I suppose, Tony Rogers, isn't all that bad.” Tony wasn't fooling anyone. He thought it was perfect. To him, everything about Steve was perfect. If only he had the courage to announce his love for the man in front of all these people, but it was still hard to stop believing that emotions we a weakness. 

“So, now what? A loose cannon like me isn't normally tr  
tying the knot.” Tony smiled. He looked genuinely happy. It was a nice look on the man. Steve vowed to make him happier than ever, from here on out. The two newlyweds were in the middle of the party, swaying side to side to the music, with their arms wrapped around each other. Tony's face was now resting in the crook of Steve's neck and they were both grinning like fools. 

“We could either stay here all night, and celebrate with everyone, or we could go to another room and celebrate alone.” Steve mumbled the last part into Tony’s ear, chuckling when the shorter man raise his eyebrow. 

“As much as I like the sound of option two, staying sounds kind of nice.” Tony smiled. Steve leaned down and kissed Tony’s nose that was scrunched up from the smile. Slowly Steve reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. Tony gasped at the design of it. The ring looked like an actual gear but in between the teeth of said gear, there was white and gold stones, no doubt representing the gold on the Iron Man suit and the white on Steve's shield.

“Steve it's perfect.” Tony whispered as he internally cheere when it fit his finger perfectly. 

“I've see something more perfect.” Tony looked up at Steve and pulled him into a heated kiss after that comment.

“Cap, I believe you're talking about a mirror.” Tony laughed out into Steve's mouth while they kissed. 

Steve backed away, grabbed Tony’s face, as he stared into the man's brown eyes. 

“If that time my reflection was your face counts then yes that's what I meant.” Tony stuck his tongue out at Steve's words. The super soldier did know how to manipulate words just as well as Tony. That meant arguments as a married couple sounded fun. 

Tony shook his head with a smile.

“What?” Steve asked. Normally Tony would say what's on his mind. Now he was just remaining silent. Steve slightly worried that his lover was deep in his thoughts again.

“I didn't say anything.” Tony smirked. 

‘I love you, Steve.’

Tony smiled a bright smile as he rested his head on Steve's shoulder, while weaving their hands together. 

“I thought it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again thank you everyone. I can't wait to start on some of my other ideas and I hope you guys had fun reading this one. This story makes me smile and so does your comments. 
> 
> To those who sid they cried I apologize but laugh evily as well. 
> 
> To those who said they laughed my job is done here. That's my main priority I promise. That and actually making sense when I write. Once again I thank you all and hope you enjoy what I create in the future.


	10. In My Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had to add this. I know I said I was done but I had to add this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be asleep but nahhhhh I made ths when I should be working on my other story but nahhhh cause that one is sad.

  Tony Stark did not get nervous. Well, if he did, he hid it very well. Sure he got scared or concerned over things, but the genius did not get nervous. Rather he didn't show it. 

 

  Yet here he was, standing in front of a mirror as he fixed his tie, shaking like he was hyped up on coffee. His hands knotted the tie incorrectly several times before, in a flash of annoyance, he yanked it off his neck and threw it on his bed that was inches from him. Tony looked at his reflection and wanted to puke. He couldn't calm down and he believed if he didn't, all the plans for the day would fall apart. His hands, covered in sweat, reached up and hid his face that was also wearing a layer of sweat. The ring on his left hand felt cold on his forehead. He ignored the knock at the door and the sound of someone entering the room. 

 

  “Stark, are you ready?” 

 

  “I have a first name, Nat.” Tony shrugged his shoulders as he sunk onto the bed. Natasha slowly sat next to him and it was then when Tony saw what she was wearing. 

 

  Her hair was pulled into some complicated style that made her look rather professional and mature. She was wearing a red dress that reached her knees. The long sleeves resembled flowers, but they were made from lace. Tony might not understand women fashion as much as his own but he knew for a fact that Natasha looked amazing.

 

  “I'm pretty sure today is my day. That's not possible if you look better than me.” Tony sarcastically pouted. 

 

  Natasha gently pushed her friend. “You look fine.”

 

  “Fine? I can't look fine. I  _ have _ to look perfect. This event is the most important event of my life. You're lucky I invited you.” Tony smiled.

 

  “I am lucky. All of the Avengers are. Tony I'll never be able to forgive myself for how we all treated you in the past. I just hope you know I am beyond grateful that you'd invite us to something as special as today.” Natasha smiled a full smile back. 

 

  Tony rolled his eyes. “Hey, n no apologies today. I already forgave you guys. Besides it wasn't like I was the perfect person. If anyone should apologize it's… Thor. Definitely Thor. You see the news lately. ‘Poptart Thief Strikes Again.’ He needs to pay.” Tony laughed.

 

  Natasha couldn't help but laugh back. “Tony, you don't have to joke around with me. No more pretending you're okay. You can be serious and honest with all of us.” 

 

  “Thanks Nat.” Tony looked down as he smiled. 

 

  “Come on. Off your ass. I'll help make you look amazing.” Natasha grabbed Tony's hands and pulled him off the bed. 

 

  “I already look amazing.” Tony smirked up at her as he stood up.

 

  “There's the Stark I know.” 

 

  “God, what don't you understand about the I have a first name conversation we had earlier?”

 

  Natasha, once again, laughed at her friend.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

  Steve stared at the paper he had memorized since about a month ago. His mind questioned if his speech was good enough. Should he add more? Should he shorten it? Was it to serious? There were too many questions and he didn't have time to change it now. With a deep breath in, he pushed himself off of his bed and walked over to his mirror. He fixed a few wild strands of hair and he straightened his tie. With a smile to himself he turned his head at odd angles to make sure he looked the best he could in all places. His eyes snapped to the reflection of the door opening behind him.

 

  “Surprise surprise!”

 

  Steve jumped from excitement as he ran over to hug the surprise visitor. 

 

  “Bruce! You made it! Tony will be so happy! Who else knows you're here?” Steve's smile made his face hurt, but he could care less.

 

  “Just you. Figured I'd surprise everyone.” Bruce shrugged his shoulders with a smile. 

 

  “Where have you been? Natasha’s been worried sick.” Steve placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

 

  “I needed time away. I wasn't right in the head. I hate that I left you guys, but sometimes it's all too much at once.” Bruce looked at the floor. 

 

  “We understand completely. We'll be there for you no matter what.” Bruce smiled again at Steve's words. 

 

  “So, you excited?” Steve laughed at Bruce’s question. 

 

  “Why wouldn't I be?”

 

  “I assumed that Tony planned the whole event.”

 

  Steve laughed and shook his head. “Surprisingly he asked me to. He said he didn't want it to be over the top.” 

 

  “Are you sure that was actually Tony speaking? Sounds like an imposter.” Bruce grinned. 

 

  “Trust me, Tony might be extravagant and a bit dramatic, but he can be subtle and a sweet guy when he wants to be.” Steve's heart skipped a beat at the thought of his fiancé. 

 

  “Jeez Cap, I can see it all over your face. You really like him, don't you?” Bruce raised an eyebrow. 

 

  “I could talk about him for hours. Hell, I'd rather talk to him for hours. Sure he talks non stop all of the time, but I could never get tired of the sound his voice. His eyes remind me of melted chocolate, and I think that's why I've become obsessed with all things chocolate. One of my favorite things is sometimes, when we kiss, his facial hair with like poke my face and if I complain he'll rub his face on mine like a cat and say ‘You're welcome.’ He isn't normal, and I wouldn't want him to be. Who in their right mind would turn him down?  Yes he's smart and he has money, but there's more. When he laughs really hard he snorts and his nose scrunches together. His stomach is so ticklish, I've gotten kicked in the face. He falls asleep when you run your fingers through his hair. There is so much more to him and I know I know a lot, but I can't wait to find out more.” Steve looked up to make eye contact with his now smiling friend.

 

  “Sorry Bruce. I got carried away there.” Steve laughed. 

 

  “Tell him that. All of that.” Bruce’s smile grew at Steve's flustered reaction. 

 

  “I could never say that stuff. I'd get to nervous.”

 

  “Then maybe you should show him the recording of it, because I know the security cameras pick up everything.”

 

  Steve froze. “There's a security camera in my room?”

 

  Bruce laughed. “No I was just kidding, but I wouldn't be surprised if FRIDAY didn't hear all of it. I'm sure she could play in back.”

 

  Steve considered how Tony would respond to him saying something like what he told Bruce. 

 

  “Okay I'll tell him tonight.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

  Everyone was slowly arriving at the church. Everything was perfect. The building. The weather. Even the date seemed like a perfect date. May 6th. It couldn't get more perfect.

 

  Tony had locked himself in the car and he refused to let anyone in. Not a perfect moment. 

 

  “ Tony open the door.” Natasha pleaded. She could see tear marks on Tony’s face. 

 

  Tony shook his head and spoke quickly but it was hard to tell what he was saying through the window. 

 

  “ I can't. I can't do this. I'm not good enough. I don't deserve this. It was a mistake to think I could do this. I ruined today like I ruin everything else. Tony jumped at the sound of someone knocking on the window. 

 

  “R-Rhodes?”

 

  “Open the door.”

 

  Tony slowly got out of the car. He refused to look his friend in the eye. He didn't even know where their relationship stood after all these years. Tony’s eyes went wide when Rhodey hugged him in a tight bear hug. 

 

  “I will not let you miss out on something like this. You have been through so much and you deserve to be happy. I don't care if you are scared. You can do this.”

 

  Tony smiled at his friend. “I can do this.”

 

  “There you go! Now let's go show everyone that Tony Stark isn't afraid to be happy.”

 

  Tony smiled as he hugged his best friend again.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

  Steve stared at Tony as he walked closer, down the aisle. Not just any aisle. It was _ the _ aisle. He looked perfect. Steve could feel his heart pounding in his ears. His throat felt like it was closing shut as he became choked up with tears. He finally felt the full weight of the realization that this was actually happening. Tony was shaking the whole time he walked. Steve looked incredible. His hair was as neat as always but still somehow different. All because today was special. After what felt like years of walking they were face to face. Behind Tony was Natasha, Rhodey, and Pepper. Vision was between Steve and Tony, waiting to start the ceremony. Tony liked having him there. It was like JARVIS was there to approve. It was like he was there to bring them together. 

 

  Behind Steve was Clint, Thor, and surprisingly Bucky. Steve was so excited when his friend was able to make it. His favorite thing was when Tony met Bucky. His first reaction was to grab Steve and basically shove his tongue down the super soldier's throat. Of course Steve had been so caught up in the moment he almost forgot his friend was there until Tony broke the kiss and smirked then walked away. When confronted about it Tony defended himself by saying that he just ‘couldn't resist tasting his fiancé.’ That comment lead to some, rough and loud, sex. Not that Steve was complaining. 

 

  All of the guys, except Vision who was in all black, had had on blue suits and red ties with black shoes. Natasha and Pepper, being the only two girls, were in their red dresses with gold high heels and, in Pepper’s case, a gold headband that stopped her hair from blocking her face. Tony didn't mind that they were the only two in Iron Man colors. He even made Clint annoyed by saying that no other guy could look good in his colors. 

 

  Time seemed to be moving in slow motion. Yet at the same time the day was going by so fast, it made Steve dizzy. It was time for the vows. His tongue got stuck in his throat so he signaled in his surprise. 

 

  Bruce walked in the room with a device that allowed FRIDAY to speak through it. Bruce was wearing a red suit jacket with gray pants and black shoes along with a gold tie. 

 

  “Not my first color choice, but hey, it's for an important person.” Bruce grinned as he set up FRIDAY. 

  
  


_  “I could talk about him for hours. Hell, I'd rather talk to him for hours. Sure he talks non stop all of the time, but I could never get tired of the sound his voice. His eyes remind me of melted chocolate, and I think that's why I've become obsessed with all things chocolate. One of my favorite things is sometimes, when we kiss, his facial hair with like poke my face and if I complain he'll rub his face on mine like a cat and say ‘You're welcome.’ He isn't normal, and I wouldn't want him to be. Who in their right mind would turn him down?  Yes he's smart and he has money, but there's more. When he laughs really hard he snorts and his nose scrunches together. His stomach is so ticklish, I've gotten kicked in the face. He falls asleep when you run your fingers through his hair. There is so much more to him and I know I know a lot, but I can't wait to find out more.” _   
  


  It felt weird hearing his own voice. Steve's hands were shaking behind his back and his heart was pounding in his chest.  He had wished that he could say these words to Tony's face but he could tell that the genius loved how it was done anyways. Besides, Steve would have messed up on pronouncing every word. Possibly Tony’s name. 

 

  Tony was in tears from joy. Bruce, one of his good friends was actually here, and Steve's words really made him feel important. Only now it was his turn to talk. Quickly he wiped the tears off his face and pulled out a piece of paper and read it out loud. 

 

  “ Okay, here we go. Steve. I might have a lot to say, all the time, but as I sit here and write this I realize that I can't find the right words to describe how much I love you, so that means that planning this out is pointless.” Tony smiled and threw the paper in the air, earning a laugh from Steve. 

 

  “I am definitely without a doubt, not a perfect person. But you, in my eyes, are. You saw some good in me when I didn't. You stood by me when I messed up, and we both know that I messed up a lot. You showed me that I do have a heart. Once I had you, I knew I had a heart. That is until you stole it. You've stolen my heart and I don't want it back because you take care of it like it was the most important thing on earth. I know I'm rambling already and I told myself not to do that today, but I've been a panicking mess all day long, so all my plans were bound to fall apart. I know you'll say I don't have to worry about being perfect around you but dammit Steve you deserve absolute perfection. I am also sorry for cussing at our wedding.”

 

  Tony paused,while everyone laughed, to lick his lips. 

 

  “Steve  it's been said that I'm a villain. That I'm the bad guy, but I know now that isn't true. If someone like you loves me.. then I must be something special.”

 

  Steve couldn't stop from reaching out and pulling Tony into a kiss. Vision laughed behind them, and before he could announce their marriage as an official record, Clint yelled, “I now pronounce you man and can!”

 

  Clint then froze an asked, “Who's last name changes?”

 

  Tony glared a non threatening glare at his friend. While everyone celebrated the two, now married men, pulled each other into a kiss. 

 

  “Okay, I mean sure that's not important at all.” Clint shrugged his shoulders while he rolled his eyes. 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

  “The night is still young. I will take a moment to give my amazing husband a surprise!” Tony yelled into the microphone after he gained everyone's attention. 

 

  Steve sat at their table, in the middle of the room, his eye staring at Tony with a look of affection, while he stood up on the small stage. Steve's breath became caught in his throat as music started playing while Tony grabbed the microphone again. 

  
_ “In my dreams you told me that you really really care _ __  
_ In my dreams you told me it's a love that can't compare _ __  
_ So hold me, hold me, hold me, and never ever let me go _ __  
__  
_   In my dreams you told me it's a love that can't compare _ __  
_ In my dreams you told me it's a love you want to share _ __  
_ So hold me, hold me, hold me, and never ever let me go _ __  
_  
_ __   It seems that dreams are sometimes make believe 

_ But now I know oh that they are real _ __  
_ For in my dreams you said you love me _ __  
_ And in reality you love me, love me, too _ __  
__  
_   Now my dreams have come true, I'm as happy as can be _ __  
_ For I know, in my heart, you won't take this love from me _ __  
_ So hold me, hold me, hold me, and never ever let me go _ __  
__  
_ It seems that dreams are sometimes make believe _ __  
_ But now I know oh that they are real _ __  
_ For in my dreams you said you love me _ __  
_ And in reality you love me, love me, too _ __  
__  
_   Now my dreams have come true, I'm as happy as can be _ __  
_ For I know, in my heart, you won't take this love from me _ _  
_ __ So hold me, hold me, hold me, and never ever let me go”

 

__ Tony's voice was incredible. Steve had tears in his eyes as he stood up and applauded with his friends. Everyone was standing as Tony stepped down off the stage and walked to Steve. Both men had huge smiles on their faces as they hugged tightly. 

 

  “I love you so much.” Tony whispered in Steve's ear. 

 

  “I love you, too.” Steve was shaking in Tony's arms. 

 

  “I promise to be the best person I can be, Steve.” 

 

  “Don't promise me that. You're already the best.” Steve pulled out of the hug. He noticed that the look on Tony’s face was obvious disbelief. Steve grabbed Tony's face on both sides.

 

  “I want to thank you. You once told me I proved that Tony Stark has a heart. Well you showed me the one thing I needed to get through my thick skull. We are not soldiers. We are more than that, and if I had a chance to go back and stop myself from being frozen, I wouldn't, because I wouldn't want a life without you.”

 

  Tony smiled. “You sure know how to make a guy feel special.”

 

  “You were already special. I'm just here to remind you. Like an alarm clock.” Steve started making loud alarm sounds in Tony’s ear. Tony laughed so hard he snorted as he tried to push Steve off of him. 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

  Out of all of the times one of Tony Stark’s experiments went wrong, the one where Steve Rogers and himself switched bodies was by far the worst one.

 

  Only because it hadn't happened sooner.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys guess who mad that song. 
> 
>  
> 
> Freaking
> 
> Robert
> 
> Downey
> 
> Jr. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> I love imaging that Tony can sing because Robert Downey Jr. can.  
> Like he made that song and others and he can actually sing  
> He's so perfect send help.


End file.
